Treachery and Devotion
by fire mystic
Summary: Reno is given a new assigment within the Turks, which causes an unexpected challenge in his relationship with Bryn. Reno/OC, Tseng/Elena, Rufus/OC. Sequel to "Betrayal and Redemption".Rated M for mature and erotic content.
1. Assignment

_Sequel to "Betrayal and Redemption". _

_Setting: Despite OC's, both stories fit within ffvii, post AC. _

_Rating: M_

_Warnings: Explicit erotic content, mature themes._

_Pairings: Reno/OC, possible others (have one in mind, but don't want to promise anything)_

_Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from ffvii or it's characters. In fact, I think Reno owns me._

_A/N: I just couldn't stay away from Reno and Bryn. I didn't want "Betrayal and Redemption" to end, possibly because it was my first fanfic, and possibly because I enjoyed the way it turned out, and now, months later and completely unexpected, a sequel has finally formed in my mind. Is reading "Betrayal and Redemption" absolutely required before reading this? Probably; that's where Reno meets Bryn and their relationship is built, and there will be other references to "B&R". __For those who have not read it, I am pretty sure I can say on record that Bryn is **NOT** a marysue. I went to great lengths to build her character and bring her to life in the ffvii world in a realistic way, and think I succeeded. I will try to continue that. Not to give anything away, but if marysue-ness occurs with any other characters, it is intentional._

_Feedback is welcome. Let me know what you think._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Assignment

Reno sat slouched in the chair, his gaze unwavering from Tsengs face.

Tseng had the decency to flinch under that glare, turning away slightly and clearing his throat. Rude and Elena were intentionally keeping their gazes averted as well.

"I'm sorry, Reno. I don't know what to tell you. She saved Rufus' life. He's willing to give her anything she wants, and what she wants right now is to train with you."

Reno leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"It's not the training part I'm worried about Tseng. It's the other part you mentioned. About Rufus giving her anything she wants."

Tseng raised a speculative eyebrow. "You don't really think it's going to come down to anything like that, do you?"

Elena coughed lightly.

"You know, Tseng, maybe you should pay attention every once in a while."

Tseng was clearly disbelieving.

"Have I missed something?"

She shook her head, her tone far too innocent. "No, Tseng. Not you. You would never miss anything."

It was Rudes turn to cough, his face flushing red as he turned away to inspect a spot on the wall. Reno couldn't help but snicker. It took quite a bit to get that kind of response from his partner.

"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

Elena sighed, nodding. "Of course I'm being sarcastic. Open your eyes, Tseng. It's not like she hasn't made it clear over the past couple of weeks that she wants Reno to pay attention to her. It's becoming annoying, and, to be honest with you, we're all fed up with it."

Placing hands down on his desk, Tseng sat forward and faced Reno again. "Then perhaps you should make it clear to her that you're not interested and refocus her attention to what it should be on. Her training. In either case, need I remind you that orders are orders, and if it does come down to requiring something more than training, you are expected to follow orders?" He didn't like reminding Reno like that, but he could not get into a situation where Reno couldn't follow orders because of his personal life.

Reno ran a hand over his face.

"Fine. Whatever." He hoped desperately that he could make it clear that he was not interested. Strangely enough, he never thought turning a woman away would be a problem for him. Now, however, there was only one woman he was interested in, and he so didn't want to mess that up with crap from work.

Rude opened the door for him as he got up to leave, and there, outside the door, was the object of their current discussion.

Dara.

She was leaning casually against the wall across the hall, talking to and laughing with one of the lab technicians.

Reno stopped short. Okay, maybe he had been wrong. Maybe Dara's unwanted advances weren't advances at all. Maybe he didn't have to worry about anything more than training her.

It was strange, how she became the newest Turk. Rufus had been in Midgar when a disgruntled citizen chose to make his displeasure with Shinra abundantly clear, not to mention personal. Why he had gone without at least one of his Turks, Reno still couldn't figure, but it had turned out to be unnecessary, as this woman had interfered, managing to dispatch the man quickly, secure Rufus' position, and return Rufus to his office within a half hour of the attack.

Rufus had been so impressed that he had recruited her that day, supposedly making an offer any sane person could not refuse.

Dara had proven herself exceptional in the first weeks of training. She seemed to be talented in every aspect of training, to the point where people would stop, watch, and even cheer her accomplishments.

Reno hadn't been impressed.

He had been suspicious.

She was good. Too good. Talent was one thing, but there came a point where talent wasn't enough, and she had passed that point much too quickly. No one moved through training that fast, that easily. In fact, he would bet a month of his salary that she had some type of training previously.

As if to drive that feeling home, Rude had expressed the same to him within the first week.

Their hackles were up. The only people who needed to see through it were Rufus and Tseng, and frankly, Reno was surprised that Tseng had not picked up on it sooner.

Dara turned her gaze on him as he walked out of the office and turned down the hall, and Reno knew that his hopes of getting out of this without complications were slim to none.

Damn.

"Dara, could I speak with you for a moment."

Thank Shiva for Elena. She was mastering the art of interference lately, doing her best to keep Dara distracted from her blatant attempts for attention.

"Not now, Elena. I need to talk to Reno."

He even hated the way she said his name.

"He's off for the day, Dara, and you and I need to work on a schedule for the range tomorrow before I go home."

Reno turned the corner, crashing through the door to the stairwell, uninterested in whatever response Dara came up with. He bolted the railing and landed nimbly a story down, a fancy little piece of footwork that was usually reserved for missions, but that he used now to make sure he had distance from any possible pursuit.

Reno slammed into his apartment, planning a shower and a change of clothes before heading out again. He despised the bad feeling he had about what was going on at work, and was going to do his best to wash the remnants from his body and calm down.

He turned the corner into the bedroom and stopped short, silently berating himself for being so careless, so noisy.

He could have woken her up.

Bryn was curled up on the bed, and despite the noise he had made, she was still sleeping peacefully, her breathing even and deep below the blanket she had pulled up over her body, and her hand flexing slightly where it rested on the pillow in front of her face, which was hidden in a fall of hair. Reno wanted to run his hands through that hair, feel the texture of it, tangle the long strands in his fingers as he held her to him.

No; he denied himself, walking across the room as he removed his shirt. Shower first. He wasn't touching her while feeling like this.

He set the water to almost scalding, scrubbed his skin pink and lathered and rinsed his hair twice before he was satisfied. He dried off quickly, roughly toweling the moisture from his hair, and dropped the towel in the hamper on his way out the door. Padding across the floor, his body relaxing from the shower, he nimbly climbed up on the bed and slipped under the blanket, taking Bryn gently in his arms and molding his body to her back. She turned at the contact, brushing hair from her face as she faced him and wrapped herself around him, grinding her body against his as she lifted her face and pressed kisses into his throat. Reno groaned in satisfaction, his body hardening.

"You're certainly good at surprises. I didn't expect you to be here."

"I missed you." She was practically purring.

"I missed you, too. I'm glad you're here." He murmured.

She raised her lips further to meet his, lips already parted, her tongue seeking and twining with his.

"I was dreaming of you," she panted between kisses.

"Really? And what was I doing in this dream?"

She reached down between them and guided his hardness into welcoming heat, gasping at the filling pleasure, wrapping her legs tighter around him.

"Hmmm. Something like this."

Reno's eyes drifted closed as he wrapped his hands in her hair as he had wanted to do since he walked in the room, plundering her mouth as he thrust into her.

Work forgotten, his night was definitely looking up.


	2. Line of fire

_Here's to hoping I got all the page breaks int he right place! Thank you all for reading and for reviews and encouragement. _

_Enjoy!_

_fire mystic_

Line of Fire

Reno hung his head, resting his head in his hands as he pressed his palms into his eyes. If asked, he wouldn't have been able to come up with adequate words to describe his boredom. He was pretty sure that if the boredom were to escalate much further, he would simply implode.

Granted things had quieted down a bit, but surely Shinra could come up with something more exciting for a Turk of his caliber to do besides training.

"Reno?"

He was starting to hate the sound of her voice.

He looked up into the silhouette of the woman standing between him and the sun and found himself strangely relieved that the sun cast her in shadow, and that he couldn't see her clearly. He wondered if his emotions were showing on his face. He wondered if he really cared if they did.

"Yeah, Dara. That was pretty good."

Her shadow shrugged. "Yeah, it wasn't bad, but I think I could be much better if you would walk me through it one more time."

He stood up, knowing after this morning's episodes that that resistance was futile, but he couldn't help the ironic smile that pulled on his lips.

"You know, Dara, when you're out in the field, there are no second chances, no do-overs to get it right or make it better. No fixing the explosives after the bomb has gone off."

She smiled at him, sickeningly sweet.

"You have such a way with your words of wisdom, Reno. Of course I know that. That's why I want to make sure I get all the practice I can here."

Reno joined her on the range, his body sliding into that easy slouch of his. This was a pointless waste of time; she didn't need this training, and he was almost sure she was playing everyone concerning her true abilities, but Rufus had sent the order down, and he was going to do as he was told until a better order came along. At least for now.

* * *

"Oh for Gaia's sake, would someone please tell me I'm not the only one that sees through this."

Rude's lip quirked up. It was the fourth statement along those lines Elena had made that morning. He was quietly amused at her discomfort and outrage, but did nothing but nod his head in whole hearted agreement.

What they were both unaware of, however, was that Tseng was now standing ten feet behind them observing the same thing they were, and for the first time hearing Elena's exclamations of disgust at the scene unfolding.

Tseng was glad he had come down to the range; satisfied, although not happy, that his fellow Turks had brought this to his attention and that he now had a chance to witness it for himself.

He knew Dara could shoot; knew her marksmanship, not to mention her skills in general, was far better than what she was demonstrating here. He had seen it for himself. What he hadn't seen before was the way Dara was downplaying her ability to draw Reno's attention to her. Their newest Turk was literally all over the man; or rather making sure he was all over her.

It would have been comedic if it were not so inappropriate. Reno was doing his best to correct Dara's grip and aim without touching her or letting her touch him, but every time he would leave that inch of space between them, she would shift back to fill it, and Reno would back off and start the whole set-up again. Reno looked like he had reached the end of his already too short patience.

Tseng was surprised the red-head hadn't shot the woman already.

"This is a monumental waste of time," he muttered, and Elena whipped around to face him.

"Not to mention disgusting. It's about time you showed up and figured that out. I hope you're planning on doing something about it."

A shot rang out and they all turned to see that Dara had managed a bulls-eye. She turned and threw an arm around Reno in a half hug, releasing him before he had a chance to react. She turned intentionally up to the catwalk.

"You see, Tseng. Training with Reno has made me better already."

Tseng gave a single nod of his head. "I think that's enough for today. I need the range cleared and reset for a special training session." He turned away, setting a brisk pace back to his office before anyone thought to question him about the non-existent training session he had made up on the spur of the moment.

* * *

Bryn stood on the terrace, looking out over the landscape and deeply inhaling the fresh air, so soothing after being locked in that meeting for the past couple of hours.

Since she had taken over the inheritance left by her 'father', her accountants had made wise investments, and she had unwittingly become a low-key spokesperson for many of the companies who received the benefit of those investments. From the choices her accountants came up with, she carefully studied the companies she chose to be involved with, refusing to work with any whose policies she disagreed with or whose ethics were questionable. It limited business options, but made her support all the more valuable to those who received it.

Except for the occasional meeting and public appearance, Bryn's choices left her lots of time for herself, but she couldn't help but look out from that terrace and wish that she were somewhere out there on her bike, exploring that landscape. It was a freedom she had always enjoyed, but since meeting Reno, it meant much more to her, especially when he was able to ride with her.

She sighed wistfully. Since the fiasco with the man she had thought to be her father, Reno had returned to work at Shinra, her protection no longer his assignment, and it had limited their time together. She missed him watching over her; the silent, observant Reno, the protective, caring Reno, the mischievous, sensual Reno. On the positive side, though, it made her time with him all that much more special, and provided them with other types of opportunities. They had become very good at surprising each other, showing up unexpectedly, sharing casual as well as intimate moments when they were least expected. Every encounter made Bryn feel very special, and Reno seemed very happy with the arrangement.

Lately, however, there was an edge to him, an edge that said something was not quite right, and Bryn was walking a fine line trying to show her concern and avoiding being too pushy.

Bryn's thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light from somewhere off to the right. She studied the landscape in that direction, but nothing. Turning, she headed back into the building, reaching for the door.

The shot cracked through the air, breaking the natural stillness and sending birds fluttering from the trees. Bryn was aware of this in an ethereal way as fire ripped through her arm and across her back, throwing her balance off. Her falling to the ground saved her life, as the second bullet rent the air where her head would have been a few seconds earlier.

* * *

Relief flooded through Reno when his cell phone rang. Walking away from the range, he hadn't been able to detach himself from Dara, who was following him like a fan-girl, blathering on about something or other. Using the ringing phone as an excuse to get some distance, he flipped it open and held it to his ear.

"Reno here."

The relief he had been feeling drained out of him, leaving him cold and motionless for several moments as he listened. He became aware of Dara moving toward him, a curious smile on her face, her mouth moving, and then Rude, ever silent but ever observant, was pushing her out of the way and steering Reno away while following the man's general directions to the parking lot. Dara tried to follow, clearly annoyed about being pushed aside, but as the two men rushed past, Elena managed to pick up where Rude had left off and ran interception.

Once they were clear of any ears listening, Rude shot a look at his partner as he slipped the phone back in his pocket.

"Where are we going, Partner?"

He remembered only one time previously when Reno's complexion had been that pale, that worried, and he didn't want to put a name to the emotion he heard in Reno's voice.

"Hospital."

Rude didn't need to ask who was in trouble.


	3. Homecoming

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Homecoming

Turks were not a common sight in hospitals. Shinra had their own medical facilities and with the exception of extreme emergency situations, they took care of their own.

That didn't mean hospital staff wouldn't recognize a Turk when they saw one. Reno crashing through the door brought attention immediately to him, as it naturally would, but the silent stillness and wary darting glances that followed suggested clearly that everyone in the room was aware that this was more than just another concerned citizen.

Whipping past the nurses desk, Reno didn't so much as acknowledge her tentative "excuse me, sir". The even weaker "You can't go in there" was moot as he pushed through the doors that segregated the people waiting from the people receiving help.

Rude, much calmer, followed his partner through the door, to find Reno had already made his presence known by pushing aside the three closest curtains, and was now surrounded by an array of hospital security staff, EMT's, and nurses. They were all keeping their distance, and most of the nurses and doctors were hovering on the outskirts, clinging to the walls. The security staff had drawn their guns but their eyes were shifting back and forth, clearly nervous about how to proceed. Reno's EMR crackled in his hand, and he had dropped into a slight crouch, ready to take on the room if needed.

Rude wondered if any of them knew they didn't stand a chance. Reno would have them all on the floor before they knew what hit them, and they would be lucky if they managed to get away with a bruise and a tingle.

"Stop it! Stop this now."

Rude had to admire the woman that had stepped out into the hall and spoken the words in a calm, authoritative voice. She took a second to take in her surroundings, and then continued in that no-nonsense tone.

"This is so unnecessary. Put your guns away."

There was a slight hesitation, but the guns disappeared from sight. The woman turned to Reno.

"You, too. Put it away."

Rude winced. Not a good idea, issuing Reno an order like that.

"Dunstan." Reno's voice held an edge to it that said he wasn't backing down. "Just point me in the right direction."

She sighed.

"There's no need for this, Reno. Put the weapon away, and I'll take you to her."

Reno straightened, and the room went back on defensive. The woman waved them away.

"It's fine. Let's all go back to work now." She turned and started down the hall at a brisk clip, not bothering to check if Reno fell into step behind her.

"I'm Dr. Tharin. Bryn asked me to call you." She opened a door as she got to the end of the hall and stood aside. "She will be groggy. I sedated her; she was suffering mild shock, but other than that, she will be fine. She was lucky; it was just a flesh wound."

Reno didn't take his eyes from the figure on the bed. "I'm taking her with me when I leave."

Dr. Tharin nodded once. "I thought as much. She should not be left alone for a couple of days."

Reno made his way past her. "That won't be a problem."

"And she'll need someone to change the bandages for her."

Rude slipped into the room, nodding at the doctor. "She'll be taken good care of." He murmured. Dr. Tharin nodded and let the door close quietly behind her.

Bryn blinked sleepy eyes at Reno as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Reno. You came."

He pushed the hair from her face, caressing her cheek.

"Of course I came."

"How bad is it?"

His gaze flicked to her shoulder where he could see the bandages.

"I don't know. I'll let you know later when I change the bandages."

"You? I get to go home?"

Reno couldn't help the soft smile that took over his face; she was so cute when she was out of it like this.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

He waited until she drifted off again before joining his partner at the door.

"We need to find out what happened. I need to know for sure if she was the target."

Rude was already dialing his phone.

"I'm on it."

* * *

Hospital? No, that wasn't right. Although she had been in the hospital, hadn't she?

Disoriented, it took Bryn a moment to piece things together.

There was a soft clicking sound behind her, and she turned, hissing at the pull on her injured shoulder.

"Easy, baby. You're going to pull your stitches." A hand on her shoulder eased her around to find Reno sitting cross-legged on the bed behind her, a gun disassembled on a towel in front of him.

She shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her brain. "I don't remember everything." She turned, lifting the shirt from her shoulder, to see how much damage had been done, but found everything neatly bandaged. "How bad is it?" Had she asked that before? Everything was so hazy.

"Bryn." His voice was so serious, so concerned. She turned back to him, wondering what she was missing.

He had shifted so he was right in front of her, his lips catching hers in an anxious, lingering kiss. He breathed softly against her mouth as he spoke.

"I haven't looked at it yet, but the doctor said you were lucky, that it was just a flesh wound."

Bryn's heart skipped a beat when Reno kissed her. He had been worried, that was clear in the tension in his body, but he was covering it well. He got up, circling the bed, and kneeled behind her, reaching around to unbutton the couple of buttons that held the shirt on and slipping the shirt from her shoulder. He kissed gently over the bandaging.

"I'm going to change these for you." He started working on the tape that held the bandage in place. She felt the air against her skin as he lifted the bandage. He didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Well?"

"It's not too bad, and they did a great job patching you up." He kissed the nape of her neck. "Stay still." She felt him shift on the bed, and heard him moving around, and then he was back, holding her hair aside with one hand. "This might be a little cold," he warned, and she felt the wet press of gauze as he cleaned around the wound. Bryn was awed that, considering what he did for a living, this man had such a tender touch.

When he had finished applying the new bandage, he kissed over it one more time and rested his chin on her uninjured shoulder.

"I'm going to find out what happened, Bryn. I'll find who was responsible for this."

Bryn rubbed her cheek against his. "It seems like we've done this before, Reno. It seems like you're always taking care of me, watching out for me."

She caught the smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"You're going to tell me you can take care of yourself, aren't you?"

"I can, and you know it."

He nodded and brushed a kiss to her ear.

"I know you can, baby, but we all need a little back-up at times." She felt his hand curl around her waist, his fingers flexing against her skin. "Will you let me be that for you?"

That he was giving her a choice, that he knew that she needed that, was one of the many things that made Reno exceptional. They didn't talk much about their relationship; there were no major declarations of undying love. It was what it was, explosively passionate and so completely comfortable, and whatever words Reno did not say were clearly conveyed in his actions and his growing, yet unspoken understanding of what she needed.

She reached back to give his hair a light tug.

"You know I will." She wasn't entirely sure she had been the target, but if so, one thing she was quickly learning was to recognize when she was over her head.


	4. New Developments

_I wasn't sure I was going to add this pairing (Tseng/Elena) when I first started this. It seemed a natural development from "Betrayal and Redemption", but at the time, I didn't know how it was going to work. Now, it just felt natural. I don't know how much time we will spend with them yet, but I hope you enjoy this bonus pairing, and I hope I get them in character. _

_There are references here back to a conversation they had in "Betrayal and Redemption", but it is paraphrased, so it's covered in the event that it doesn't ring a bell. _

_Italics were used to voice Tseng's thoughts. I don't think I've done that in a fic yet, but it seemed right; let me know if it doesn't work._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

New Developments

"Who authorized time off for Reno?"

Tseng looked up from the ghostly glow of the computer screen he was studying. Rufus was becoming pushier by the day, not even bothering with small courtesies like knocking on doors.

"I did." He answered, his voice so calm, as usual, giving away nothing of what he was thinking.

"Why?"

Tseng clicked out of the file he was studying as Rufus closed the distance between them. Until he found what he was looking for, there was no need for Rufus to know what he was looking into.

"He has time coming to him and he asked for it. I saw no reason to deny him."

"What about the training he's supposed to be doing with the new recruit?"

_Ah. So that's what this is all about._ Fortunately, Tseng had been prepared for this, thanks to his Turks pointing some things out to him.

"He asked for two days, Rufus. It's hardly enough time to worry over, and will certainly not negatively affect training. In the meantime, I will have the new recruits work through simulations and with the other Turks. It will be good for them to experience a variety of techniques." He was very careful to generalize, avoiding the mention of Dara's name specifically, though he knew that was the recruit Rufus was referring to. Why he was giving special consideration to Dara, Tseng wasn't sure, but he thought it better to keep his cards close at this point.

Rufus studied Tseng for a moment, the eye contact uncomfortable, but Tseng did not flinch away. Rufus smiled. It was an evil, cruel smile. Tseng hated it when he smiled like that, but at least it gave him some warning.

"Tell me, Tseng. Does this time off have anything to do with that girl he's been shacking up with lately?"

Prepared as he was, Tseng had to fight not to wince. Rufus actually sounded pissed. Why? Because Reno was involved with someone? Because Rufus didn't like Bryn? And why was he making it sound like Bryn was just another anonymous lay? Rufus knew Bryn's name, knew the girl, although not well, and was certainly aware of the circumstances behind Reno and Bryn being together, though he didn't know the particular details. So what was the problem?

He decided ignorance might be the best policy.

"I don't know, Rufus. He didn't specify why he needed the time. He said it was important, and I assumed it was personal. Would you like me to find out?"

Rufus shrugged. Tseng didn't like that gesture, either. Despite what he had been through, which Tseng had hoped taught the man a valuable lesson or two, Rufus was acting like a petulant child lately.

"No. Don't bother. Two days. That's it. After that, all personal time has to be approved by me."

Tseng hated to ask, but he had to. "Is that just for Reno, Sir, or for all the Turks?"

Rufus considered briefly. "All of the Turks. Including you, Tseng."

Tseng watched him leave; the first thought that came to his mind? He was locking his office door from now on.

His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the screen; Rude. He flipped it open.

"Yes, Rude."

"I'm on the range, Tseng. I think you need to come down here."

The connection was lost, and Tseng stared at the screen for a moment before heading out the door. _What the hell is going on?_

There was no one on the observation deck of the range, or out on the catwalks. Rude should have been there; he was supposed to supervise while Elena worked with the recruits. Tseng quickly traversed the catwalk, inspecting the range beneath him, and finally caught a flash of light in the sun; Rude's glasses. Back to a wall, edging his way cautiously, Rude was carefully but urgently signaling to Tseng to cut the training short. Making his way to the sound panel, Tseng picked up the microphone, turning it on and turning up the volume.

"Attention all training personnel: Stand down. You are under immediate orders to cease training activities and clear the range. I repeat stand down and report to the staging area immediately."

He waited a few heart beats, and then repeated the announcement. He was worried; Rude was still being far too cautious on the range, moving as if he expected to be attacked.

Turks and recruits began to arrive at the staging area from various divisions of the range, but when Tseng arrived, his eyes searched out three people in particular. Dara strolled casually off the range along with two other recruits. There didn't seem to be anything wrong; they were chuckling and whispering among themselves. Rude was a few seconds behind, immediately making his way to Tseng's side.

"We need to talk."

"What happened here?" He was still searching, the one person that concerned him most still not accounted for.

"I have no idea," Rude gritted out. "But we're not talking about it here. Not now. We need to find Elena."

_What the hell?_ "Find…?" Was that panic he heard in his voice?

"She went down during the simulation and I lost her." Rude was already moving back onto the range, his previous caution unnecessary now that it had been cleared. Tseng dismissed everybody else, ordering them to closed quarters until further notice.

"Are you sure you don't need some help, Tseng? What's going on? Is someone hurt?"

Dara was approaching him, but unlike the other recruits, who looked puzzled and nervous, Dara was relaxed, her stride easy.

And she was smiling.

Tseng went cold inside. It reflected in his expression as he narrowed his focus on her.

"Closed quarters, Dara."

Her smile brightened. "Of course, Sir. Just thought I'd offer a hand."

Tseng considered himself a very generous person. He tried to be considerate and level-headed at all times, but he was failing miserably as she strolled away.

"Your inability to follow orders will be noted in your file," he informed her, and then followed Rude onto the range.

They found Elena out cold inside a small shed-like structure, blood smeared across her face, blossoming from a cut within a darkening bruise on her face.

Tseng dropped to his knees beside her, pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket, dabbing gently around the wound to soak up the blood and keep it from running into her hair.

"Elena." She didn't open her eyes, but he was relieved when she groaned and rolled her head. Rude bent to lift her, but Tseng brushed him away. Picking her up and cradling her to his chest, he made his way out of the range and across the compound, bypassing the medical bay on the way to his office.

By the time he placed her on the leather couch, she was starting to come around. Holding her head, she tried to sit up, but a gently placed hand on her shoulder kept her in place.

"Relax, Elena. You've been hurt. Let me take a look at it."

She blinked, clearly disoriented, and took in her surroundings.

"What happened? How did I get here?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that." He went to retrieve a small ice pack from the small refrigerator. "I brought you here. I thought it would be more comfortable than the medical bay." He wrapped the ice pack in a cloth and placed it on her cheek. "Hold that there. I'm going to get cure material."

Lying there with nothing to do but wait and try to ignore the throbbing agony in her cheek, Elena managed to sit up and survey the room. Why had Tseng bothered bringing her here? Yes, he was right, it was more comfortable than the medical bay, but that would have been the much easier option, and not only for him. This felt like he was taking care of her, and her heart ached that it was nothing more than concern for one of his Turks and not something more. At least she could have avoided that deceptive feeling in the medical bay.

"You really should be lying down." He approached through the open door that she hadn't heard him open, attesting to how out of it she was. He guided her back onto the couch and perched himself on the edge to administer the cure.

"It's not much, but it should close the wound and keep you from scarring. Do you remember what happened?"

She could feel the cure working through here, and the tight pain in her cheek lessened a bit, as did the pounding in her head.

"I got hit. Blindsided. One minute we were going through the simulated mission, and the next everything became serious, like it was real. A bullet hit close, startling me, and lodging in the wood. When I looked at it, I realized it was real, but we were supposed to be using blanks on the range. I had just let Rude know that something had gone wrong when everything went dark."

Tseng took a small packet from his coat and ripped it open, pulling free the alcohol wipe from within. Carefully moving her hand with the ice out of his way, he deftly removed the last traces of blood that marred her face.

"I'm going to investigate, but I have a feeling I will find nothing of use. I'm looking into a couple of things, but until I find something concrete, I think we should all stay on alert."

"We?"

"You, me, Rude, and Reno. Especially Reno, I think."

He had been concentrating on what he was doing, so much so that he just now caught the way Elena was looking at him, and how close she was.

He remained as he was.

"What is it, Elena?"

There was something so tender in the way he was administering to her wound, some subtle difference in his close presence. Could she dare hope that there was real concern in his eyes, concern that went beyond a boss taking care of one of his Turks? Did he realize how intimate his actions seemed?

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Tseng blinked, slowly. "Have I ever not been nice to you, Elena?"

"No, Tseng. You're always nice, but distant. This feels very…informal for you."

He was intent, his eye glittering, softening around the edges, and then he dropped his head so she couldn't see his expression anymore.

"You once spoke harsh words to me, Elena. Words that suggested I have no sympathy for others feelings because I have none of my own."

Her breath caught and her heart twisted in her chest. There was real pain in his voice. She had said that thinking he would think nothing of it. This was the first indication she had of how deeply she might have hurt him. The small sound made him look up at her again, studying her face, her lips pressed together, the curve of her cheek, her eyes.

"I've been haunted by those words." He put a finger over her lips as she opened them to speak. "I do have feelings, Elena. I keep them well hidden, but they are there, and perhaps," he hesitated, drawing a breath. "Perhaps, with you, I don't want to be so distant, so formal anymore."


	5. Exposed and Vulnerable

_Rated M: This chapter contains explicit erotic content, adult situations, and colorful language._

_I have to admit that "Betrayal and Redemption" is a must read before this story. I'm sure the plot could be picked up fine, but a great deal of Bryn's character development occurred in "B&R". As I proofed this, it occurred to me that in this story, it appears as if she came from nowhere. 'oh look - Reno's got a girlfriend'. I know that wouldn't make sense to me. _

_In addition, there is another reference in here to a scene from "B&R", in which Bryn is fascinated with Reno's use of a butterfly knife. This would explain why the gift means so much to her. _

_A note on the ammunition mentioned: a 7.62 mm bullet is a common issue round, which is used in a wide variety of sniper rifles._

_Thank you for reading. _

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Exposed and Vulnerable

Bryn had been reading when Reno left, but the book was now resting on her shoulder, her thumb still stuck in the binding, where it had settled when she fell soundly asleep on the couch. She had been constantly tired since he brought her home, and he suspected her system was recovering from shock more than from the injury she had sustained, and while she would have been more comfortable in her own house, he wasn't willing to risk it until he could look into the shooting.

He had left a half hour earlier to talk to the security that had been working the building she had been in. It wasn't a high profile building, and the level of security certainly proved it. They were lucky, Reno figured upon meeting them that these guys managed to make sure the doors were locked up at the end of the day. They certainly hadn't been much help, although he had taken more than a bit of pleasure in their obvious fear of him, though Reno wasn't sure if it was specifically him they were afraid of or the Turk suit he wore.

If those men could see him now, gazing down at a beautiful woman with a warmth in his eyes that few were ever privileged enough to see. He removed the book from her fingers. Careful not to disturb her, and was just placing the book down on the nearby table when he felt his phone buzz against his hip. Retreating to the kitchen, he checked the caller ID before he answered.

"Yeah, Rude. What ya got?"

While Reno had been talking to the security, Rude had managed to find the spot where the sniper had been.

"I got a bullet casing and a firing angle. It's not good."

It wasn't what Reno had wanted to hear, but he had suspected as much.

"Tell me."

"There was no clear shot into the room, Reno. The sniper could only have been aiming at someone on one of the balconies."

"Did you check for other potential targets?"

He knew Rude had, knew that the other balconies had been empty, knew that an assassin wouldn't have been that far off target, anyway.

And he was now sure that Bryn had been really lucky.

"You already know the answer to that partner."

"What about the casing?"

"A 7.62 mm. Not going to help us at all. We were lucky it was still there. I had to dig around for it; shooter probably didn't have time to search."

"Idiot," Reno mumbled.

"He'll be a sorry idiot when we find him, Reno. Got any ideas from here?"

Reno hung his head. "A few I'm working on. You just watch your back."

"Always."

Reno had barely slipped the phone back on his belt when there was a knock on the door.

He approached cautiously. It was the first time he had felt he needed to be on the defensive in this place, which meant it was time for him to get out of the place and move on. It didn't matter who was on the other side of the door. What mattered was this was supposed to be a safe escape for him, and if it was no longer that, it was no good to him anymore.

He checked the peephole and slumped back against the wall.

Oh Fuck. Like he needed this shit.

He swung the door, filling the space that opened, making it perfectly clear that entering was not an option.

He was completely nonplussed by the brilliant smile Dara flashed him.

"Dara."

"Hey Reno. I missed you today, so I figured I'd come by and check to make sure everything was okay."

"How'd you find me here, Dara?"

"Oh." Her shrug reminded him annoyingly of the Kisaragi chick. "Rude told me."

His lip quirked up and he left it for her to figure if it was charm or sarcasm, hiding behind it his awareness of the lie. While it had been a safe-house for him, it was not a completely unknown location. Many of the Turks were aware of it, as was Rufus, and Dara could have gotten the information from many of them, including Rufus, whom she seemed to be kissing up to so well. There were two people however who would not have given her the information under any circumstances. Tseng was one of them; he was simply too cautious. Rude was the other, because Rude was his partner, his friend, and Rude always had his back.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Narrowing his eyes at her, Reno stood his ground as she stepped closer to him in an attempt to push her way past.

"I'm busy, Dara." He glanced back at a sound from within the apartment.

"Oh Reno." Was she cooing? Oh, this was just seriously icky. "Why didn't you tell me you had company?"

Turning back to her, trying not to cringe from her sticky-sweet suggestive tone, he found her trying to peer around him. That was it; he definitely wasn't putting up with this anymore.

"Go home, Dara. Or work. Or wherever, as long as it's not here."

He didn't wait for her response. Stepping back, he quickly filled his spot with the closing door, clicking the locks home.

He found Bryn sitting on the edge of the couch, trying to gently roll and stretch her injured shoulder. She glanced up when he approached.

"I should have known better than to sleep on the couch. You don't think I'll pull the stitches, do you?"

Reno slipped behind her on the couch, settling his legs on either side of hers. He reached around her, undoing the top buttons of her blouse, and lowered it down her back, brushing her hair over her opposite shoulder, so he could lift the bandage and check the wound.

"Nope. Looks good."

"That's because I have such a good nurse."

She didn't get any more warning than a soft growl before he pulled her back and bit the back of her neck. Something suspiciously sounding like a giggle escaped her, and she let him pull her back into the warmth of his lean body. He rubbed his face into the side of her neck and hair.

"I have something for you."

That got her attention. She had found, since being with him that she loved surprises, and Reno seemed to take great pleasure in delivering them. Gasping, she turned her head up and around to look at him.

He had to shift her slightly so he could reach into his pocket, and then a cold smoothness was tracing lightly down her opposite arm. Turning to look, she was unable to figure out what it was, until he reached her hand and pressed it firmly into her palm so she could take a good look at it.

She sat up, eyes riveted to the smooth texture of the object she now recognized immediately.

"Mine?"

"Yeah."

"But this is yours."

"I want you to have it. If you would rather have a new one…"

"NO! I want this one. Are you going to show me how?"

His fingers traced around the object, tickling the palm of her hand.

"I promised, didn't I?"

He set her hand around the polished bone handle of the butterfly, guiding her fingers in each action.

"First you flip the lock back." Not having to see what he was doing, he watched her profile with fascination. "Then take one edge, and let the other fall away." Her eyes glittered as the blade appeared from its hiding place. "Then flip it around and reconnect the two handles." His hand wrapped tightly around hers.

"That's all there is to it?"

"That's it. But practice slowly. No cutting yourself on my watch."

"Reno?"

"Yeah?" The breathiness in her voice was doing strange things to him.

"You know how you like to cut my clothes off, right?"

"Umhmmm." He purred against her ear.

"Will you let me cut yours off one day?"

Oh, Gaia. Reno couldn't get his eyes to focus. She always managed to catch him by surprise.

"Let me know when you're ready, Bryn."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He was more than willing to provide her with that incentive.

She ran the closed blade up the length of his thigh, delivering a sharp tingle from the nerves in his skin straight to his groin. His fingers flexed against her waist as he fought for control over his body.

"Damn, Bryn. I want you so fucking bad."

Bryn's breath caught. It always amazed her how desperately Reno wanted her, how intense his passion was. Had he always been like this? Or was it only with her? She wriggled her back against him.

"Then take me."

His arms were tight bands of muscle around her, but he was infinitely careful of her shoulder. She could feel how hard he was, throbbing against her, but he was shaking his head.

"No, baby. I don't want to hurt you."

Moving his hands from her waist, she shifted off the couch and turned to kneel on the floor between his knees, pushing him back on the couch and reaching for the button at his waist.

"Then we'll have to make sure we don't do anything that might affect my shoulder." Reno found he couldn't move as she worked the button and zipper, pushing the fabric aside in search of the hard flesh beneath. Apparently unsatisfied with that, she finally urged him to lift his hips, and sat back, letting him help her push the pants down his legs before he flopped back onto the couch. Was she going to do what he thought she was going to do? What it looked like she was going to do? She had never offered before, and while he enjoyed the act immensely, it was not something he had ever asked her for.

He got his answer as she wrapped a hand around the hard flesh before her and planted a firm kiss at the base. Dropping his head back against the couch, he tightened his fists at his sides, willing himself not to grab her head and thrust.

"Oh, Gaia. Bryn!" He felt her lips curl into a smile against his heated flesh, and then conscious thought faded as her tongue licked a long line up his length and swirled it around the tip.

Bryn glanced up his body, silently scolding herself for never having done this before. It had crossed her mind on occasion, but she had always shied away from it, even though she instinctively knew Reno would never criticize her inexperience. Indeed, he seemed to be enjoying it very much so far.

She dabbed her tongue gently around the ridge of flesh at the tip, testing the plush, tenderly soft texture as she tasted the slight saltiness. He was hotter against her tongue and lips than she had imagined he would be, and when she pressed her lips to him, he throbbed against them as if begging for more.

She explored slowly, teasing kisses, flicking her tongue, wrapping it around him, swiping at the drops of moisture that gathered at the tip and then dabbing at the opening gently with her tongue, and when she had finally worked up the nerve, she slid her lips over the tip, applying the slightest suction.

Somewhere in the lust that was consuming his brain, Reno suspected that Bryn may never have done this before. It was in the timid touches, as if she were unsure what might or might not please, but damn, if everything she was doing wasn't perfect. He let her take her time, not wanting to take the chance that his enthusiasm might frighten her from her new experience with him, but his restraint was hard tested when her mouth covered him and drew on the sensitive head of his cock. She pulled back immediately, gauging his reaction, and she must have liked what she saw in his eyes as he gazed down at her; her smile was pleased, and when she lowered her mouth to take him in again, her lips kept sliding down, letting as much of him as possible slip into the tight heat of her mouth before she lifted up, her cheeks hollowing as she kept firm suction with her lips and tongue.

He wasn't going to last long if she kept that up, but she had other things in mind. She sank down one more time on him, thoroughly testing his staying power, but then released him, standing up and climbing into his lap, knees planted on either side of his hips.

Moist lips brushing his, feeling completely wanton, she whispered into his mouth.

"I want to feel you." And gripping him firmly in place, guiding him, she settled firmly down on his moistened flesh.

He couldn't hold it much longer, not while submerged in the tight sheath of her body, not with images of her mouth on him playing over in his head, not with the erotic, pleading tone of her words, and now she was grinding against him, her head thrown back, her throat rippling as she moaned his name, and she was burning up and so wet, and he held her hips, lifting her with the force of his thrusts, and then his body was seizing up, and he was coming, crushing her to him, pumping his release deep within her, somehow managing a long, drawn out moan from already oxygen-deprived lungs.

When he could raise his head from where it was resting, he found Bryn with a slightly smug expression which was softened by a radiant smile.

"I take it I did good?" She asked.

It may have confirmed what he had suspected about her inexperience, but he had nothing to complain about. He returned her smile.

"Good doesn't even begin to cover it, Sweetheart."

Her pleased expression, her sigh was pure satisfaction for both of them, but gazing up at her, Reno was reminded that she wasn't safe, and that he needed to insure that for both of them.

Bryn sensed the change in him right away.

"What's wrong? Did I..?"

His fingers on her lips hushed her. "It's bad news, but not about that, Bryn."

That was only vaguely reassuring. She glanced around toward the door.

"Does it have to do with the person at the door before?"

The answer to that was yes, partially, but Reno wasn't sure if he could explain it adequately. Well, that wasn't entirely true; he also didn't want to have to explain Dara at all right now. There were bigger things for them to worry about.

"I'm not sure yet; I'll let you know when I do, but right now we need to get out of here."

"You want to go out?" That was strange. He had been so insistent that she rest.

"No, Bryn. We need to vacate. Dump this place. There are some strange things going on, and I'm not sure this place is safe any longer."

Bryn surveyed the room around them. It certainly wasn't much; she had told Reno that in the beginning. But then it wasn't meant to be much more than a place to crash. Still Bryn had grown attached to it. It was a part of Reno, a place that he had shared with her when he might not have shared it with others, and she had felt comfortable and safe there.

And now Reno was telling her it wasn't safe anymore.

"It won't make sense to just leave for a while, huh?"

"Once a safe-house in compromised, it's done." As if he could read her mind, he comforted her. "I'll find another place for us, Bryn. Give me time."

"Can we go to my house?"

"No."

"Why? The security is…"

"No, Bryn. Your home isn't safe, either."

She studied his face, her eyebrows creasing as she read between the lines.

"You found out, didn't you? I was the target of that shooting. Someone is trying to kill me."

He didn't have to say yes.

"I will keep you safe, Bryn."

"How?" Panic was setting into her chest like a leaden weight. She had never thought she would have to worry about this type of threat again. "You can't be with me twenty four hours a day like you were before, Reno. Where will I go?"

"I'm going to take you to the safest place I know."

"And that would be?"

He managed one of his patent grins. Bryn was not going to be entirely happy with this, but she would accept it. As for other people? This was going to piss some of them off big time.

"Shinra headquarters."


	6. Relocation

_A transitional chapter of sorts; a little Reno with Bryn, a little Tseng and Elena. Reno is getting very serious; I'm aware of it, but hopefully it's not too OOC for the situation he's in. And I'm finding I'm really enjoying Tseng and Elena._

_Thank you for reading and reviewing._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Relocated

"Rufus isn't going to like it."

Reno stared at Tseng from across his desk where he was slouched in a chair. That was easier than he thought it had been; he had anticipated having to do a lot more convincing.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes." He wouldn't deny this request; he had recently been reminded of the feeling of wanting to protect someone he himself cared about. "I'll arrange security clearance for Bryn, but I'm warning you now that Rufus is going to have a fit."

"I don't care about Rufus."

Tseng studied an invisible point on his desk as his thoughts shifted. "I should also warn you that this may not be the safest place to protect her."

That was ominous. What was Tseng talking about?

"What do you mean?"

Now Tseng was looking at him intently. "Rude didn't' tell you about Elena?"

Reno sat up in his chair, elbows on his knees, and leaned forward intently.

"What happened to Elena?"

"She was knocked out cold on the training range, and we found out someone switched out the training blanks for real bullets."

Reno was going to have a little discussion with his partner about keeping him updated about what was going on.

"Is she all right?"

"She's fine. I gave her a couple of days to recouperate. Rufus wasn't happy about that, either."

"So you think the two things are connected?"

"I think that until I find out more, there are too many things going on for it to be simple coincidence and that we should all be watching our backs."

He was walking Reno to the door as he spoke, and they stepped out in the hall together.

"When will the clearance be ready?"

"In a hurry, are we?"

"I'm bringing her here tonight, Tseng, clearance or not. The difference will be how much freedom she will have. I don't want her to feel like a prisoner."

"Give me an hour."

Both men turned as the elevator from Rufus' suite pinged and the doors slid open. Rufus was nowhere in sight, but Dara greeted them with a bright smile.

"Reno! You're back." She approached, reaching for him, and he instinctively withdrew from her touch. Still, she managed to caress a hand up his arm and rub his shoulder. She ignored his cool response, and left her hand there as she turned to Tseng.

"So, when will we be allowed out on the playground again, Boss?"

"You are to report first thing tomorrow morning, Dara."

"I'll be working with Reno again, right?"

"Actually, I think it will be a group training. We need to cover some safety protocols."

"Sounds like a good idea, especially after what happened the other day to that blond."

Tseng turned on her with a considering glare, his hands relaxed at his sides. To anyone else, it looked completely natural, but Reno knew the stance for what it was; Tseng was ready for anything, keeping his muscles relaxed, his reflexes ready. When he spoke, his voice was dead calm.

"Her name is Elena, and she is your superior." You should have more respect. And concerning that incident, I'd like to speak with you."

Reno backed out of the conversation as quickly as he could. He had better things to do.

* * *

Two hours later, he opened the door to his Shinra quarters, placed Bryn's bag against the wall, and stood aside to allow Bryn to enter.

Looking around, she noted it was different from his other apartment. While still neat, it definitely had the look of being more lived in. There was a sweatshirt hanging over the back of a chair, and there were a couple of files strewn across the coffee table in the center of the living room. The bed was rumpled, as if Reno had simply pulled the comforter up over everything without actually making the bed.

"So is this what you officially call home," she asked as she wandered back into the living room. Reno was straightening the files on the coffee table.

"It's as close to home as anything gets."

"I'm not going to look at those, Reno." He glanced up at her, laying the files neatly at the end of the table.

"I wasn't worried about it, Bryn. I just forgot what a mess I left." Bryn found it irresistibly cute that he even cared.

She hadn't wanted to take him up on his hospitality, and the impact on his job was only part of it. She wanted to spend time with him, but she didn't want to smother him. Though they spent much of their free time together, Reno had a job that required long hours at times, and there were days at a time when she didn't see him, and her occasional traveling did the same. Now she would be where he worked, and it would be the closest they came to living together.

Bryn wasn't sure either one of them was ready for such a step. She was also nervous about how things were going to work. She sat gingerly on the couch.

"So what are the rules?"

He sat next to her and she leaned on him.

"Tseng is working on a security clearance for you, and as soon as you have it, you can come and go as you please, but let me know if you plan on leaving the property. I really don't want you to feel like a prisoner, but I want you to be safe."

"Will you at least let me escape once in a while?"

Reno couldn't help the chuckle. He knew Bryn had a rebellious streak in her, but he seemed to be her favorite playmate, so maybe it would be okay.

"Will you let me escape with you?"

She reached back and gave his hair a tug. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

A knock on the door interrupted them. Reno got up to answer it, and as he looked through the peephole, Bryn noted the tension that built in his shoulders.

Reno opened the door, as equally unhappy to find Dara there as he had been the day before.

"Hey Reno. I heard you were back."

The purr in her voice was annoying and he stepped out into the hall, nearly closing the door behind him.

"What do you want?"

"Like I said, I heard you were back. I figured I'd stop by and see if you wanted to…hang out."

Reno narrowed his eyes at her, biting his tongue to keep his tone even. "I'm busy, Dara. I'll see you tomorrow at training."

"I understand," she answered, too bright by far. "Maybe another time."

Trying to mind her own business, Bryn stayed on the couch, but she couldn't help but notice Reno's strange behavior. Especially when he came back and sat on the couch, massaging his fingers over the bridge of his nose.

She decided to dive into a question that had been weighing on her mind.

"Reno, are you going to be okay with me staying here?"

He tilted his head at her, quizzically.

"Yeah. Why not?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to…Impose." She couldn't help but glance at the door. It occurred to her that she had no idea what Reno's life was like when he wasn't with her, what he really thought their relationship meant. They hadn't discussed it, and the thought slammed her that she had made assumptions that she shouldn't have.

Reno caught her looking at the door. Damn, as if dealing with that damn Turk wannabe wasn't enough to begin with, he knew what it must have looked like. He slumped back into the couch and gently pulled Bryn down beside him.

"You're no imposition, Baby. If anything, that was the imposition. I'm off the clock, don't want to be bothered by work stuff, and they still show up at the door." That wasn't the entire truth, not as far as Dara wanted it to be, he thought, but it was as close to the truth as he wanted it to be. "It's one of the downsides to staying here. Will it bother you?"

She nestled down beside him, pushing his shirt up so she could rest her hand on his stomach.

"It's just new. I'll try not to let it get to me." But she didn't know how easy that would be.

* * *

There was a soft knock on the door. Elena looked at the clock. Nine. It was late, but not terribly, and she had been expecting one visitor before she went to bed. She shuffled to the door in her slippers, checking to see who it was, and taking a few calming breaths before swinging it open.

"Tseng."

"I did tell you I would stop by," he reminded her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Much better, really. You took good care of me." She stepped aside to invite him in, but he shook his head.

"It's late, and you need your rest. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling better." He stepped back slightly as if to turn and leave, but then paused. "I was wondering; would you have dinner with me?"

Elena tried to keep the shock from registering on her face. This was so new, so unexpected; she still couldn't comprehend that Tseng was paying such attention to her, and as much as she wanted to, she didn't trust it, and wasn't sure how to react to it. But dinner was a good place to start.

"I…Yes. I would love to have dinner with you."

He smiled, and it was gentle and pleased. "Tomorrow, then, if that's okay? Seven?"

"That's fine. What should I wear?"

He took in her appearance. She was wearing a pair of old jeans with a button-down shirt, all loose and casual around her small frame.

It was perfect.

"Something similar to what you have on." He smiled at her perplexed expression. "Good night, Elena."

He heard her whisper good night as he walked away.


	7. Unexpected Encounters

_This chapter rated M for crude language and behavior. Also, I promise I'm not trying to turn Bryn and Elena into best friends. Promise! The conversation about the shirt is a reference to a previous conversation Elena and Bryn had in Betrayal and Redemption._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Unexpected Encounters

If there was one thing Shinra Headquarters was good for, Bryn decided, it was walking. The doctors had told her no running, but walking was allowed, and Reno told her it would be fine as long as she stayed in the area designated for personnel quarters. Tseng had even cleared it for her to use the gym, but she didn't feel quite comfortable with that. But the halls and stairways were perfect as long as she obeyed the "restricted access" signs.

When she asked Reno about what to say to people, he explained that she probably wouldn't see too many people during the day other than housekeeping, and they probably wouldn't question her. If anyone did, all she had to do was mention Reno's name. They all knew him.

She set out on her first full day living in Reno's quarters, feeling very self-conscious until she picked up her pace, and concentrating on her walking became more important than her discomfort in her surroundings.

As it turned out, she did run into someone. She was halfway down one hall, wondering if she would ever be able to find her way back to Reno's when a door opened behind her and she heard her name.

She turned to find Elena in the hall behind her, waving her over. Now, there was a surprise to say the least.

"I'm so glad you came by," Elena exclaimed as she approached.

"You are?" Elena nodded frantically, dragging her into her apartment as she did so. Bryn didn't have much experience dealing with Elena, and didn't consider them friends. The only thing she was sure of was that Elena was protective of Reno, whether as a friend or a fellow Turk. Or both. She couldn't imagine why Elena seemed so happy to see her.

Dragging her into the kitchen, Elena practically placed her in a chair and turned around in a complete circle.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Water?" Bryn felt somehow intimidated.

Elena got her a glass and poured her some water from the refrigerator and placed it on the table in front of Bryn, sat down next to her, and then bounced up again.

"Ice. I didn't ask if you want ice."

Picking up the glass, Bryn waved Elena back to her seat and took a sip.

"It's fine, Elena. I don't need ice."

Elena sat and stared at her.

"Elena? Are you okay?" She didn't know what else to say.

Elena smiled, almost shyly, and blushed, raising her hands to her face as if to contain the heat flooding her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. This is very strange, but you happened to be walking by, and I need your advice. I hope you don't mind."

This was not the Elena that Bryn was used to dealing with, but she had nothing against helping her if she could.

"Sure. I'll try if I can."

Elena couldn't keep her focus on anything in the room. Her attention kept bouncing from one thing to the next, and it was clear she was flustered. When she started to speak, it was as if the flood gates had opened.

"It was just so unexpected. I never thought it would happen, and when he carried me off the range, and what he said after, well I couldn't believe any of it, and a part of me even thought I was dreaming it all, and then he asked me out, literally knocked on my door to check on me, for Gaia's sake, and asked me out, I mean to his place for dinner, and I don't know what I'm doing, what to wear, if I'll be able to speak when he shows up, or if I'll just make a complete ass out of myself."

She stopped short. Bryn, slightly dazed by the rush of words, didn't know if she should speak or if she should wait to see if Elena had something more to say.

Elena finally made eye contact, her brown eyes clearly pleading. "Well?"

Bryn couldn't help but smile. It was so strange, Elena asking her for advice. What did she really know about this anyway? Her relationship with Reno had been completely unexpected and explosive, totally different from what Elena was describing, and she didn't know if she had the right answers, or any answers, for that matter.

"I'm…not sure I can help, Elena."

Panic filled her dark eyes.

"You have to! Who else can I ask?"

Bryn was sure there were other people Elena could ask. Weren't there? If not, it wouldn't hurt her to try.

"Tell me what I can do."

What profound relief was in Elena's expression.

"You can tell me what to do!"

Bryn wanted to laugh, but she was too shocked.

"I can't tell you that, Elena. It has to come naturally."

A small fist slammed down on the table.

"I know that! But..but…I don't even know what to wear!"

Maybe that, Bryn could help her with. She tried to sift through what Elena had said about her upcoming date.

"You said it was at his place?"

"That's what he said." She paused, her features scrunching up in confusion. "And he told me to wear something like what I had on."

Bryn was finding this funnier by the minute.

"Well then what's the problem?"

Horror-stricken; that was the word for what was reflected on Elena's face.

"I can't! I was wearing my old beat up jeans and an even older oxford shirt. That would never be acceptable for him! I don't know what he was thinking!"

Bryn's curiosity was piqued.

"Do I know who 'he' is?"

Blinking disbelievingly, Elena threw her hands up.

"Tseng, of course. I thought you knew."

Bryn couldn't figure how she would have known, or why Elena had assumed she did. But now she saw what the problem was. No, it didn't sound right; Tseng, she guessed would be more formal. But then again…

"You know, Elena, if that's what he said, maybe that's what he wants."

"Faded, baggy jeans and a plain button-down shirt?"

Bryn smiled knowingly, recalling one of her previous encounters with Elena. "If you recall, there's something to be said for a plain old button-down shirt. Isn't there?"

Elena went blank.

"Does Reno like when you where them?"

Reno would have been proud of Bryn's coy smirk.

"What do you think?"

Elena nodded. "I'll do it, then. Will you help me pick it out?"

Would wonders never cease? Bryn followed Elena to her bedroom closet and, as if they had been girlfriends for ages, helped her pick out a green shirt that was roomy enough to be comfortable, yet perfectly complimented her femininity. Along with a pair of neat jeans and sandals, Elena was set. Studying herself in the door-length mirror, she glanced at Bryn's reflection.

"Are you sure? I want to make a good impression."

"I can't be sure, Elena. You asked what I would do, and this is it. He already knows you; maybe he wants to be comfortable, get to know the you that isn't a Turk. I think you should just be yourself."

"What if he doesn't like me?"

"What if he does?"

Finally, some of the concern bled from Elena's eyes and she even managed a small smile.

"Thank you, Bryn. There really aren't very many people I could ask about this. Thank you for being nice."

"I hope it helps. Now if I could ask a favor in return?" She couldn't believe she had to ask this. "Would you mind directing me back to Reno's?"

* * *

If Elena's directions didn't fail, Bryn was nearly back to Reno's quarters when she rounded a corner, and stopped short when she saw the Turk that was leaning against the wall midway down the hall. Tall and lanky, his build reminded her vaguely of Reno, but that was the only similarity she could see. He had dark hair cut short and spiky around his head, and when he turned his head at her approach, she could see his eyes, very dark brown if not black, set in a very bland face that reflected nothing but boredom. There was another emotion that flickered there that Bryn couldn't put an exact name to, but it was enough to chill her blood.

What was he doing there? He could have been waiting, but he wasn't near anybody's door. Had he been sent to check on her? She didn't think so; Reno would have let her know.

Smiling and nodding, trying to be polite as she would with anyone else, she picked up her pace. She was almost past him when he spoke, softly murmuring.

"So you're Reno's new bitch."

She stopped short, turning to him. Had she heard him right?

"Excuse me?"

He was laughing, a cold, humorless sound, running a finger across his upper lip as if he were making a vague attempt at concealing his wit. He looked up at her then, and she backed away from what she saw. Better safe than sorry.

"You're not the only one, you know. He's a player; that'll never change."

Bryn was backing slowly down the hall. There was no way she was turning her back on him.

"Hell, he could be fucking someone up right now. You'd never know."

"I…I" Bryn stammered. She turned partially at the sound of the elevator door opening around the corner. The Turk moved in her peripheral vision, and when she turned fully back, he was gone.

Cautiously, more sensitive to her new and apparently not-so-safe environment, Bryn returned to Reno's quarters, keeping in mind as many details of the mysterious Turk as she could for later reference.


	8. Strands in the Web

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Strands in the Web

"Can we get out of here?"

Bryn was sitting in the chair in the living room, flicking the butterfly blade open, closed, open closed. She had practiced, and she was getting rather good, but Reno knew her fidgeting was not a good sign.

"Bryn? What's wrong?"

She bounced up out of the chair, pocketing the knife.

"I need to get out of here. Can we go?"

Reno also knew Bryn didn't like being locked up, and he had, by no means, intended to do that when he brought her to Shinra Headquarters. He just needed time to figure out who was threatening her so he knew how to protect her. Apparently, though, she was feeling like a prisoner, even after only two days.

It made him wonder if there wasn't something more to her discomfort.

"Sure we can. Did you have anything in mind?" He walked with her out of the apartment and let her lead the way, noting how quickly she was walking and how she was constantly looking around, checking her surroundings.

"No. I just need out."

In the elevator, she couldn't stand still, pacing back and forth while watching the lights blink as the floors passed.

Reno reached over and pushed the stop button, and the elevator came to a standstill.

"Why did you do that?" She turned to him briefly, then back to the buttons, reaching for the resume button. Reno stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

"Bryn. Look at me."

She glanced at him, saw the serious expression on his face, and chose not to look away.

"What happened?"

She shook her head. "Later. I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to get out."

Reno ran his fingertips down her face, drew her mouth to his in a tender kiss.

"Later, then." He pressed the button. Bryn's sigh of relief when the elevator started moving again did not escape his attention. In fact, with each step out of the building, her breathing became a little easier.

He offered her the option of riding alone or with him, and she surprised him by choosing the latter, but when she climbed on the bike behind him, she clung to him with more force than was necessary simply to hold on.

He needed to find out what was going on.

"Where to?"

"Just drive."

Reno didn't need any more direction than that. Bryn liked to ride, would drive for hours in whatever direction the road took her, sometimes getting totally lost on the way. It had become one of Reno's greatest pleasures, to ride with her without any route or destination in mind.

He chose a route that took them miles out into the middle of nowhere, and stopped on the edge of a bluff just as the sun was settling below the horizon. Turning the bike off, he let her hold him, remaining very still under her touch, waiting for her to give some indication of what was going on.

"It feels like it's happening all over again." She said in a voice that was small in the open space they were in.

Reno was scanning the horizon from the direction they had come. He was pretty sure they hadn't been followed, but his senses were on high alert, and he had learned a long time ago not to ignore that feeling.

"Bryn…"

"I'm wondering if I should go away; disappear for a while."

Twisting around, Reno stared at her, disbelieving and hurt. It was as if she were saying she didn't trust him to take care of her. When had she stopped trusting him?

Her eyes lifted to his, and what he saw in her expression told him he was wrong about that assumption. She was scared, and it was more than just the attempt on her life.

"What happened?"

She held his gaze.

"I'm not safe anywhere, Reno. Even you can't guard me twenty four-seven."

What she wasn't saying spoke volumes. Whatever had happened occurred within the past couple of days; since she had come to stay at Shinra Headquarters. The leap of logic stunned him. Whatever had her spooked happened within Shinra.

He stood up, dismounting the bike so he could turn to her and confront her fully, face to face.

"Tell me."

She was refusing to look at him. He wrapped his fingers around her chin and forced her.

"I'm not letting you run without knowing why, Bryn."

"It was nothing. Really." And that was true, she realized after she had thought about it. The Turk in the hall hadn't threatened her, not with words, anyway, and everything he had actually said had just been inflammatory.

"It's just painfully obvious that not everyone wants me at Shinra."

"Someone said something to you, didn't they?"

"Reno…"

"Who was it?"

"It's not important, Reno. I don't want to make a big deal out of it."

As if she hadn't already.

"Who?" His voice had dropped to a bare whisper as he tried to contain his frustration.

"It was a Turk."

What the fuck?

"A Turk?"

Bryn winced; he sounded as if he didn't believe her.

"In the hallway on my way back from Elena's."

Elena's? Huh?

"And it wasn't her?" He didn't think Elena would give Bryn a hard time, but lately nothing was going the way he thought it would.

He was clearly wrong, if Bryn's scrunched, confused expression meant what he thought.

"Why would Elena say anything?"

"Tseng?" He knew damn well Rude would never say a word to her, no matter what he felt, and he had thought Tseng was above acting in such a way.

"No. It was someone I've never met before."

There was silence for a moment on the bluff as Reno stared at her, eyes narrowing, head tilting to one side. Could things get stranger?

"There are no other Turks right now, Bryn."

Except for the trainees. Was it possible?

"Was it a woman?"

Bryn's expression sharpened, but she shook her head.

"No."

"What did he look like?"

"Kinda tall and thin, like you, but he had short, dark, spiky hair and dark eyes."

The description didn't ring a bell at all. Had Reno been so distracted on the job that he had missed someone like that among the trainees? And what had he said to Bryn that had her so spooked?

"Did he threaten you?"

Bryn leaned back against the rest on the bike, and covered her face with her hands. She had known that if she told him about this, he would want to know what had been said.

"No."

That dreaded silence again, and when Bryn dropped her hands, Reno was watching her carefully, expectant. Waiting her out.

"It was like he was waiting for me, trying to identify me; he said I was your new bitch."

Reno winced at the word, but kept his eyes on her.

"What else?" He knew there was more, as surely as he knew the sun came up in the morning.

"He…suggested…that you…can't be trusted."

"Can't be…? You mean…"

Images were starting to pull together in Reno's mind as a few puzzle pieces started to fit together. He didn't have the whole picture, but when he did, someone was going to pay big time for this. In fact, when he got his hands on this trainee, the payback would start even sooner.

* * *

The gentle knock came at exactly seven sharp. Leave it to Tseng to be so punctual. Elena had spent the better part of the afternoon fretting over her choice of clothing, changing her mind and then deciding not to about fifty times before she finally decided to just go with Bryn's advice and take her chances. Now she watched her hand smooth down over her the green blouse in the mirror and adjust the small necklace so it was perfectly centered at her throat.

It was now or never. Pushing down the nervous urge to hide, she tried to steady herself as she approached the door, noticing as she reached out for the knob that her hands, visibly trembling, were not cooperating.

Swinging the door open, she had to keep a tight grip on the knob to keep her reaction from being obvious.

Tseng was still dressed. She wasn't so surprised by that; after all, she couldn't imagine him being any other way. But he had traded in his jacket, tie and white dress shirt for a black dress shirt, the top couple of buttons of which were undone, and his hair left loose, falling straight over his shoulders, and softly highlighting his face and his warm smile. The effect was stunningly dark and sensual on him.

"Tseng," she barely managed to whisper.

Concern filled his eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Elena nodded mutely.

"Are you still feeling up to dinner? We can do this another time, if you like."

Panic fluttered through Elena's brain, and words flowed out in a heated rush.

"NO! No, I'm fine, Tseng. Tonight is perfect. I just…you surprised me. I mean, I was expecting you, but you look…you look…different."

His lips curved back into a smile, softening his face.

"Is that a good or bad?"

"Oh, it's definitely good. You look…" gorgeous, delicious, exquisite, beautiful, perfect "…fine." Oh god, had she just said that? How lame that sounded!

Tseng didn't seem to be put off by it, though. In fact, he seemed amused. And then he held out his arm to her in a gesture that was unexpected yet seemed completely natural for Tseng.

"Shall we go?"

Elena looped her arm around Tseng's and pulled the door closed behind her.

She had thought dinner would be at his place. Hadn't he said that? But as they walked, it occurred to her that he had never said that, and her fear over her choice of outfits came back to haunt her full force.

"Tseng, are you sure I shouldn't have worn something…more formal?"

Dark eyes raked over her, and Elena silently scolded herself for drawing his attention to her simple attire.

"You worry too much, Elena. You're beautiful."

He led her down the hall, to the elevator, and when the door opened, they came face to face with Dara, who could have very well passed for a dominatrix in the head to toe leather she was wearing.

"Wow, Tseng. Look at you! You're hot!" She winked saucily at Elena. "Lucky girl!"

Elena flinched at the lewd tone, and felt Tseng stiffen under her arm as he turned within the confines of the elevator to press the appropriate button.

"What are you doing here, Dara? Trainees are under orders to remain in quarters."

Her smile was predatory.

"I have special orders, Tseng. From Rufus." She turned her smile on Elena. "I like it when he gives me orders. You should try it some time."

The elevator pinged and the door slid open, and Dara stepped out, her stiletto heels digging sharply but silently into the plush carpeting. She threw another grin over her shoulder.

"You two have fun now."

The door closed before they had to watch her make her way down the hall. Tseng made a silent note to himself that she had chosen to approach Rufus' suite through the more public elevator instead of using Rufus' private entrance, which meant she was making a point of her visit being public; she wanted to be noticed.

"I have a feeling she's bad news," he commented aloud.

Elena sighed quietly beside him, glancing up at him.

"We've been trying to tell you that."

Reaching over with his free hand, he caressed her cheek in an intimate gesture she hadn't expected, once again reminding her how nervous she was.

"I should have listened. That won't spoil your night, will it?"

Oh, Gaia, Elena thought. If she could help it, there wouldn't be a force on the planet that would spoil this night for her. Except, perhaps, her anxiety.

"Not at all."

The elevator pinged, and Tseng led her down another hall, stopping in front of a door and punching in the key-code. He entered, holding the door open for her, and welcomed her into his home.

* * *

Rufus opened the door almost immediately, taking in the very pronounced feminine form before him, leaning against the door, one arm curled above her head, one leather boot crossed over the other, the heels and pose adding further curves to the already well-endowed body. He was hard before Dara smiled at him and reached out a hand to caress his cheek.

"Rufus, love. We need to talk."

Placing a long-fingered hand against his chest, she gave him a shove, following him through the door and closing it with a careful, definitive click.


	9. Entanglements

_Rated M warning for small amount of erotic content. __The focus of this chapter deviates a bit, but I think it made sense in the scheme of things. I apologize if it seems a bit left field right now._

_A HUGE thank you to The Sacred and Profane for his impromptu brainstorming, which helped me over a rather annoying hurtle in this chapter. I'd still be stuck if not for him._

_Thank you for reading and reviewing._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Entanglements

"I know he was trying to intimidate me, Reno. That's what I took seriously, not what he said."

Bryn had hurt him, badly, and she knew it. She could see it in his expression, in his eyes, even in the fast dissipating light of day. She had implied, more than once in a matter of minutes, that she didn't trust him and in more ways than one. It's not what she had meant to do; she trusted him, implicitly, but she knew she was right about at least part of this. Whatever danger she was in, it had managed to find a way inside the walls of Shinra, and even Reno couldn't protect her from that.

"You don't believe that, do you? What he said?" He asked as if he hadn't heard what she had just said to him.

"No, I don't."

Reno wasn't entirely convinced, but there was nothing he could do to prove or disprove his feelings. He knew Bryn was being honest, that she hadn't taken what this false Turk had said as truth, but a seed of doubt had been planted, and Reno knew his reputation would support that doubt.

In the meantime, something else had occurred to him that he wanted to run by Tseng and Rude, and he wasn't going to make any decisions until he did that. The problem was convincing Bryn not to run in the meantime.

"Give me one more day. Let me talk to Tseng before you decide to leave." He very carefully did not take that option away from her, as much as he wanted to. He traced his fingertips down her cheek, and Bryn wrapped a hand around his wrist, stilling him so she could kiss the palm of his hand.

"I can do that."

Reno climbed back on the bike in front of her and started the engine, and Bryn wrapped her arms around him. Was the tension she felt in his body her imagination? She couldn't help but think that what she felt in him was withdrawal from her. Not that she could blame him, but he didn't seem as warm towards her as he usually was. How much hurt had she inflicted?

* * *

The ringer on Tseng's cell phone, which was on the sideboard, was set low, yet Elena started when it rang, nearly dropping her fork.

Tseng raised an eyebrow at her, smiling softly as he excused himself, removing the offending phone and returning much too quickly to have even answered it.

As he slid down in his chair, Elena marveled at how at ease he was. Gone was the forever business-like man she was used to, and in his place was a man who was completely comfortable in his surroundings. He crossed his legs and allowed the slightest slouch to his posture as he picked up his glass of wine and rested his elbow on the table, swirling the drink gently.

"My apologies," he offered gently. "I didn't mean to startle you. I should have remembered to turn it off." He couldn't help but notice how jumpy she had been through dinner, and wondered what it was, exactly, that had her on edge.

Elena's state of anxiety betrayed her, much as it always did, exposing her as she blurting out the explanation for her behavior.

"It's the effect you have."

Tseng tilted his head in question. "I make you nervous?"

She could feel the heat in her face, but now that she had stepped into it, it wasn't a truth she could hide.

"All the time."

Taking a slow sip of his wine, Tseng thought about that. How did she manage to do her job effectively if her admission was true? Of course, he wasn't around her all of the time, but often enough and he had never noticed this reaction.

Or had he?

Yes, on second thought, there were instances when Elena tended to blurt things out that she shouldn't, although he didn't know if he was the sole cause of that. And he often caught her turning quickly away, cheeks coloring, when he thought she might have been looking at him, and the fact that she was always trying to win his approval.

Oh, he had been blind.

He wanted to reach out to her, to touch her, to allay her nerves, but he was unsure of making the gesture or how it might be received. She had no reason to be nervous around him.

"_Except for the fact that she's been attracted to you for so long, and you've remained untouchable,"_ a small voice in his head whispered.

"Perhaps," he offered, "spending time with me will change that." The flush increased in her face, eyes widening, and she actually lifted a hand to cover the smile that bloomed on her face. In her attempt to hide her reaction behind her water goblet, she nearly spilled the glass across the table, but Tseng caught it easily, trapping her hand beneath long, lean fingers, steadying her until she had a firm grip of the glass, and then releasing her hand so she could drink.

"Come," he offered his hand when she had finished, leading her to a small bar in the living room and pouring two drinks, one of which he handed to her, gesturing towards the couch and chairs.

"Please. Make yourself comfortable."

Elena didn't know how likely that would be. She felt a bigger fool with every breath, and would be surprised if Tseng could even work with her after tonight. She wasn't even sure what to talk about with him. Talking about the weather or such seemed trivial, and she didn't know if he would be comfortable talking about anything personal. The only discussion that came to mind had to do with work, and she didn't know how well received that would be, but at least, she figured, it had something to do with her health. She took a long sip of her drink, letting the alcohol burn through and warm her before she attempted the conversation.

"I was wondering if you found out anything about the day I was hit."

Tseng sat next to her, turning and curling his leg up on the couch between them, nearly touching her leg, but not quite. It was a casual position that she would never have expected from him.

"I'm still working on it. You were out of view of the cameras on the range, but the suspects are limited. The only people on the range besides you and Rude were the three trainees."

"Are you sure it wasn't an accident?" Elena didn't remember things clearly, but kept thinking that maybe it had been as simple as something falling on her head.

Tseng knew better.

"No, it wasn't an accident. Tell me; have any of the recruits been acting strangely towards you?"

Elena shook her head, feeling more comfortable as the discussion continued. Despite her jittery feelings around Tseng, she had learned long ago to focus when it came to work, and this conversation felt like business as usual.

"Not really. There are a few I don't like and I'm not sure I trust, but nothing more than that."

Tseng wasn't surprised by her answer. In the early stages of training, it was difficult at times to weed out the Turks that would make it, find the people with the right mix of qualities for the work they would have to perform. He made a mental note to follow up with Elena about who she didn't trust in the future. Trust was imperative for them to work together, and it wouldn't do to have someone in their ranks that one of their own couldn't trust.

"Speaking of your injury, how are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm good as new. Really, Tseng, I could have returned to work the next day. You were more than generous with the time off."

He took a chance then, reaching out to brush gentle fingers over the healing bruise on her cheek.

"I wanted to make sure you were all right. It's not always the physical injury we need to recover from."

Her blush was endearing, and he felt a strange sense of satisfaction in having that effect on her. Turning her face away shyly, she caught sight of something that made her eyes light up.

"May I look at your movie collection?" She was ecstatic. This would satisfy a small piece of her curiosity about him personally, while it would distract her nicely from her overwhelming feelings.

Tseng followed her gaze to the cabinet of DVD's with a small smile, her childlike wonder amusing him.

"Of course." He gestured to the cabinet and watched avidly as she hopped up and went to peruse his collection.

It would be interesting to see if she found something she liked.

* * *

Rufus opened his eyes and took a moment to let them focus on the face above him.

"I can't give an order like that."

"No, Baby," Dara purred, drawing red marks into his skin as she ran her nails down the center of his chest. "Tseng can't give an order like that. You're Rufus Shinra. You can give any order you want."

"Reno won't do it, Dara. I can't make him do something like that."

Her pout lacked any trace of innocence.

"Please, Rufus? Pretty please?" It certainly sounded like she was begging, but even Rufus, in the small corner of his mind that wasn't overshadowed with lust, knew that this request of hers wasn't a request at all. Dara was pulling the strings right now, and all he knew was that if she pulled the right strings, he might find a way to give her what she wanted.

"If you do this for me, I'll give you what you want, Rufus." She dug her nails sharply into his sides as she twisted her body slightly on his, grasping at sensitive male flesh with a flex of muscles.

The hopeful expression on Rufus' face brought a wicked smile to her face, and any pretense at innocence was gone. Leaning into him, she bit him hard on the chin and then slid her mouth to his ear.

"I'll give you what you _need_."

All the air left on a strong exhale, and he held it there, lungs empty, eyes clenching closed, the image of the fantasy he had discussed with her too much for him to dare to hope for, and now she was dangling it in front of him, knowing full well he would know what she was referring to.

The lust swirled into that miniscule part of his brain that had been lucid up to this point, and Rufus knew, for this, he would give her whatever she wanted.


	10. Issuing Orders, Asking Favors

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Issuing Orders, Asking Favors

Nobody stood in Reno's way as he made his way through the halls of Shinra. Anybody with two eyes and half a wit of self-preservation could see that he was in a dangerous frame of mind, and the lazy, indifference he often projected was nowhere to be seen.

He was, however, stopped short in his personal mission just as he was about to achieve his destination.

"Reno." The name echoed down the hall, and Reno turned to the forceful summons to find none other than Rufus Shinra waiting expectantly down the hall.

"My office. Now."

Sighing deeply, Reno glanced briefly to the door he had been about to knock on before following Rufus' order. Not that he was in any mood to deal with Rufus, who was being exceptionally moody lately, but he didn't see as he had much choice.

He let the door of Rufus' office close behind him with a loud thud, not slamming it, but not much caring about it, either, and edged his way closer to Rufus' desk, not taking a seat in the leather chair opposite where Rufus had taken his seat. He didn't plan on staying long enough to get comfortable.

"I have an assignment for you, Reno," Rufus stated without preamble.

The wariness set in before Rufus had finished the sentence. Rufus just didn't give assignments to the Turks. He always channeled everything through Tseng. What the hell? In the suspicious corner of his mind, Reno wondered if Tseng even knew about this assignment of Rufus'. In the meantime, he saw little choice but to hear Rufus out.

"What you need, Boss?"

"Shinra is hosting a charity auction this weekend. It's part of our new corporate image. Many of Shinra's employees are attending the event, and I need you to be there."

"You need me for security?" Reno knew about the auction. He was pretty sure Bryn had mentioned it, that she might even be attending it, as some of the companies she worked with were involved. In all likelihood, she would ask him to attend with her, but she would also understand if Rufus needed him for security.

"Not as security, no."

"Then what you need, Boss?"

"You are to attend as Dara's escort."

What the fuck? Had he just heard that right? What kind of assignment was that? And…why?

And that's exactly what he wanted to know from Rufus.

"What the…"

"This is not up for debate, Reno. You've been given your orders. See yourself out."

If the words weren't clear enough, the chill tone of Rufus' voice certainly was. Reno snapped his mouth shut and retreated the way he had come; even he could tell arguing with Rufus would get him nowhere. Maybe Tseng would know what was going on.

"Oh, and Reno?" He turned back to what sounded like an afterthought on Rufus' part, and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"It would be in your best interest to treat this as a real date. I don't want to hear that Dara was disappointed in your companionship."

As he finished issuing his final directive to Reno, he picked up the phone and dialed, turning away, leaving Reno with nothing but the high back of his chair to stare at in disbelief.

* * *

Bryn stood outside Elena's door fidgeting and debating. She wanted to find out, after all of Elena's nervousness, how her first date with Tseng had turned out, but she also needed a favor, and she still wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or not to ask. She simply didn't know Elena well enough to anticipate what her reaction might be, but there didn't seem to be many others she could ask this of given her situation. Finally, she raised her hand to knock, figuring she could feel it out as she talked to Elena about her date.

Her knock was immediately answered by a vague "just a minute", but it seemed much longer before the door finally opened.

"Oh, hi Bryn. Come on in."

If her cheery disposition and brilliant smile were any indication, things must have gone very well.

"So? How did it go?" Bryn asked as she stepped into the apartment. It felt so odd, to be talking to Elena like this when there was no established friendship, but she almost felt compelled to find out after Elena had asked her for advice.

Elena turned to her as she closed the door with a dreamy expression on her face.

"It was incredible." She waved Bryn into the kitchen, pulling a chair for her much like she had done at their previous meeting, and sat down next to her, leaning over to talk conspiratorially.

"First, I have to thank you. The outfit you suggested was perfect! Even though I debated changing right up to the very last second." Bryn realized she was smiling goofily at Elena, who was gushing as if they had been best friends forever, a clear sign of the euphoria she was still afflicted with. Elena recounted their dinner, how nervous she was, and how understanding Tseng was.

"And he was such a gentleman!"

"Well we already knew that, didn't we?" Bryn asked. She didn't know much about Tseng at all, but it was one of the few things she could comment on with confidence.

"Well, of course, but he let me pick the movie we watched. He even asked me if he could put his arm around my shoulder, no cheap date theatrics or slick moves. And then, and this was the only embarrassing part, I fell asleep leaning against him." Her cheeks turned bright red to reflect her sentiments.

"Why are you embarrassed? It sounds very romantic."

"But he might think I was bored. I didn't mean to, but I was warm and comfortable, and wine always makes me a bit drowsy." She dropped her head, clearly troubled by what may have been the one dark cloud in her evening.

"Did he say anything to you to make you think that's how he felt?"

"He said I was adorable when I slept and kissed my hand."

"Then he didn't think you were bored, Elena. Did he ask you out again?"

"No." She sighed heavily.

"Give it time." Bryn had a good feeling about this. "In fact, I bet you'll hear from him before the day is out."

Elena perked up.

"You really think so?"

Bryn nodded, smiling encouragingly.

"I'm almost positive."

Responding with a hopeful smile herself, Elena brightened.

"I hope so. And thank you. I really don't have many people around here to talk to about this." This was a far cry from the Elena she had first met. Thank Gaia!

"Any time." She took a deep breath, clearing her throat. It was now or never.

"Elena, I was wondering if you would do me a favor."

Confusion lit in Elena's eyes, but she nodded.

"If I can. Sure. What do you need?"

"I want you to teach me how to use a gun."

* * *

"What the FUCK?"

Tseng startled. He wasn't often caught off guard, especially in his own office, but Reno slamming through the oak door in a fit of rage certainly did the trick.

Worse than that, Tseng had no idea why the Turk so angry, his face nearly as red as his hair and his fists clenched. If it were so important that it would stir such a reaction, Tseng should know about it, unless it was a personal matter, but Tseng didn't think so. Reno had never brought a personal matter to Tseng in such a manner.

Taking no chances, Tseng didn't let his body relax until he saw clearly that Reno didn't have a weapon in hand. Well thank Gaia for that; at least the Turk hadn't completely lost his mind.

"I'm afraid I'm at a loss, Reno. What seems to be the trouble?"

The expression on Reno's face was priceless, a combination of annoyance, shock, confusion, disbelief and rage. Obviously he had expected Tseng to know what he had burst in to discuss.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Not anything that would have you entering my office like that, no. Care to fill me in?"

Reno flustered for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what to say, or where to start. Or perhaps he was having a difficult time understanding how an order had come down without Tseng knowing about it.

"Rufus hasn't talked to you? He didn't tell you?"

Tseng spread his hands out in surrender. He wasn't going to bother offering Reno a seat. He knew it would be refused.

"Haven't heard a thing."

"He wants me to take Dara to that charity auction." Could he possibly need to say more? His distaste was not only well known, but couldn't have been clearer if it were printed across his face in permanent ink.

Tseng took his seat slowly, mulling this enlightening bit of news. It was certainly an interesting turn of events, on many levels. Rufus knew Reno was involved with someone. Was he trying to create tension? Tseng knew Rufus didn't particularly like Bryn, or rather the idea of Bryn, the steady girlfriend with the potential to distract his Turks and give them something to look forward to outside of the walls of Shinra. Still, Tseng would have thought such tactics beneath Rufus. Then there was Dara. Aggression and forwardness were two traits she seemed to have in spades. So why hadn't she asked Reno herself? And why would Rufus, who, if what he had witnessed in the elevator the night before was any proof, seemed to be having some type of relationship with Dara, ask Reno to take her to this event? Nothing added up.

Reno was pacing, pacing, pacing, and exuding a nervous energy that did nothing to help Tseng think.

"I don't know why he'd as you to do that, but I'm sure it's just a favor, Reno."

"Favor, my ass. It was an order. That's the word he used, along with the threat to make sure I rise to the occasion."

Tseng wasn't sure if Reno meant that literally or figuratively, or if Reno had even meant the double entendre and he wasn't going to ask. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to talk to Rufus about this and try to find out what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Reno. Rufus hasn't spoken to me about this, so I can't even hazard a guess as to what he's thinking."

"But you're going to find out, aren't you?"

Tseng kept the worry he was feeling from showing on his face. This was not the first incident recently that indicated Rufus was not being entirely forthcoming with information. It wasn't serious yet, but the signs were beginning to worry Tseng.

"I'm going to try, but in the meantime, an order is an order. You know how that works."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." He sank down into the chair opposite Tseng, letting his long body slouch into the contours of the leather as he leaned an elbow on the arm of the chair, his hand covering his face. "That's not even what I came here to talk to you about."

"Even more good news?"

Reno glanced up at him then, his lip quirking a bit, a good sign at least that he hadn't lost his sense of sarcasm.

"You give me a monster to kill and a few explosives to detonate and I'll bring you some good news." He leaned forward a bit in his chair, not wanting to miss Tseng's reaction to this.

"We've got someone impersonating a Turk."

The roles reversed, and now Tseng was the confused, disbelieving one.

"Who?"

"Don't know." Reno shrugged. "But that's not the worst part."

"Like that's not bad enough?"

"Not as bad as them getting into this building, past security, to do it."

Tseng was already reaching for the phone.


	11. Chasing Shadows

_Rated M for erotic content. As before, Reno owns me, not the other way around. _

_rageofloki: Somebody really needs to get rid of Dara._

_fire mystic: Well, you know she'll probably get hers in the end._

_rageofloki: No. She'd probably enjoy that._

_I'm such an innocent._

_Thank you for reading and reviewing._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Chasing Shadows

Bryn now knew what a victim felt like, looking at crime photos to identify their attackers. And she wondered if victims felt the same way she did about it, that they never thought they'd be in this position.

She also marveled, as she flipped open one file after another, at how much like mug shots the photos of the Turk trainees looked.

She hadn't bothered to pick up the phone in Reno's apartment when it rang that morning. Nobody she knew would be calling her there. But mortification quickly set in when Tseng's voice on the answering machine asked her to pick up and then demanded in his calm, professional way that she report to his office. Since her confession to Reno, there was only one thing she could imagine Tseng would want to talk to her about. She hadn't wanted Reno to tell, hadn't wanted to draw even more attention from Reno's colleagues, but she knew it was inevitable, if only because of the questionable security within Shinra. She hadn't known what to expect, but a summons from Tseng was beyond anything she imagined.

Now she sat at Tseng's desk opening each file, carefully scrutinizing the photo within, setting it aside, and moving on to the next. It didn't help to have three men hovering over her, Tseng and Rude as still as a statue while Reno paced restlessly. Bryn had the sinking feeling that she wasn't going to find the picture she was looking for, and finally closed the last file and pushed it aside with a sigh, her instincts proven correct.

"I knew he wouldn't be here."

Tseng picked up the phone and dialed, waited for it to ring.

"Elena? Meet me in my office please."

They waited in silence the few minutes it took Elena to tap on the door and enter, a puzzled expression on her face.

"I need the three of you to go down to the security office and watch the feed from the security cameras. I want to know who he is, how he got in here, and who helped him before the day is over. Am I clear?"

Reno was already out the door, Rude not far on his heels. Elena hesitated, studying Tseng with a curious expression on her face before she followed suit, closing the door behind her. Bryn stood from her seat, preparing to take her leave as well.

"I didn't mean to bring this problem here. You've all been very generous, letting me stay, but I should leave Shinra Headquarters."

Tseng, she was finding, was a difficult man to read. He gazed at her with a neutrality that gave nothing away. He also had a way of being still and imposing at the same time, as if there were a dangerous entity underneath the serene exterior he presented the world. Bryn tried not to let his demeanor rattle her.

He shook his head, the motion drawing her from her musings.

"I think that would be unwise. Despite what has happened, I think this is the safest place for you to be."

Well, that was more than mildly surprising. Bryn had expected Tseng to be relieved, if not pleased, that she was no longer an issue.

"That's very kind of you, but I can't say I feel the same."

"Reno is going to insist on making sure your safe. This is the best place for him to do that, and to be honest with you, with a breach of security like this, I can't afford to have him missing in action."

"He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't ignore his responsibility to Shinra. Why would you think he would do that?"

A small smile lifted the corner of Tseng's mouth at her defense.

"Because that's what I would do in his position."

* * *

Elena made a valiant effort to concentrate. This was important. She knew that. But as she watched the images on the screen flicker by, her mind kept drifting. After Bryn had visited that morning, Elena had reported to work despite having been granted the day off. She was tired of sitting around in her apartment on the mend, and since her date with Tseng, she had an energy that wouldn't let her rest anyway. At least working would give her something to do. And, of course, she would be able to see Tseng. Oh, she had it bad.

If only she'd known that her assignment for the day would be so mind-numbingly boring, making it too easy for her thoughts to wander.

And wander they did. Her earlier encounter with Tseng hadn't been what she expected. She was hoping there would be some acknowledgement of their budding relationship. That's what it was, wasn't it? Or had Tseng changed his mind? Bryn said Elena would hear from Tseng before the end of the day, had sounded pretty sure of it, but Elena could hardly contain her anticipation.

She knew she wasn't being fair. Tseng's attention was focused where it should be; they needed to find this guy, and Elena could wait. Tseng was always professional. Yes, he could be obsessive at times, but it was a trait she admired in him and she would be disappointed if he were to let it slip now. Besides, how did she know Tseng wasn't feeling the same way, thinking about her and wishing for a private moment, but maintaining his business facade? Tseng was, after all, very good at hiding his feelings.

Rude, sitting beside her grunted, sitting forward in his chair and rewinding the tape he was watching and playing it back in slow motion.

"I got him."

Elena leaned in, and Reno popped up from his own video feed to stand over Rude's shoulder. Rude played with the tape for a moment, rewinding and freezing it a couple of times before he found an image he was happy with. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to make a positive identification, and from the tape, they knew the entrance he had used. Most importantly, they knew that the door hadn't been locked, which meant that whoever he was, he definitely had help from the inside.

* * *

While Tseng waited for his Turks to find the breach, he decided it might be a good time to talk to Rufus, fill him in on the latest developments and find out what the story was with Reno's latest 'assignment'. Rufus' secretary, however, stopped him mid-stride as he approached Rufus' office.

"He's in conference, sir."

As if that had ever made a difference.

"He'll see me."

Tseng was quite sure he had to be imagining the restraining hand on his arm.

"He left strict orders that he was not to be disturbed."

The secretary removed his hand slowly, a hint of panic edging into his eyes. His mouth gaped open, and just when he would have said something, the door to Rufus' office opened.

Dara's appearance in the doorway didn't surprise Tseng in the least. And the blush that rose in the secretary's face when he caught sight of the Turk trainee didn't escape his notice, either. Dara's actions became very intentional when she realized she was the center of their attention. She closed the door gently and exaggerated the sway of her hips as she approached, her hands busy straightening the tie that circled the collar of a shirt that narrowed sharply at the waist and was too tight around her chest. The clothes, as well as her fidgeting with them, drew the eye to the feminine curves of her body.

She was performing for them, Tseng noted with disgust.

"Tseng! I'm glad I ran into you. I was wondering," she opened her jacket wide and cocked a hip out, "do you suggest a hip holster or a shoulder holster for a woman? I've seen Elena wear both, but you know, it's not like she has anything on top to worry about, and I'm," she glanced down at the anatomy in question, "well, considerably larger. What do you think?"

Get rid of her. The words ran through Tseng's head, and it was everything he could do not to blurt out 'you're fired'. He did, however, make a mental note to put the paperwork in for dismissal when he got back to his office. In the meantime, he called on his vast reserve of discipline, schooling his features, and acted like it was a perfectly normal question.

"It's all personal preference, Dara, sometimes based on your choice of clothing, and if you choose a shoulder holster, they are fitted. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"But I thought you wanted to see Rufus," she reminded as he started to walk away. "It takes him a few minutes, you know, but he should be composed by now."

Tseng managed not to clench his fists as he paused to answer.

"I will speak to him later. I need to take care of something else at the moment."

That was a lie, but he would make it the truth by finding something. He would rather scrub toilets than see Rufus right now.

* * *

Nothing. That's what they found. With all the technology at their disposal, Elena, Rude, and Reno couldn't identify the man in the video. They had no further luck when they hit the streets, asking questions of well-informed sources, and coming up empty. Their mystery man was, for all intents and purposes, a ghost, as was the person who had given him the general security code he had used to enter the building. All said and done, they had nothing more at the end of the day than the picture they started out with.

By the time Elena returned to her room, she had pulled her jacket and tie off and undone the top couple of buttons of her blouse. It had been a long, tiring day with no results to show for all their work, and nothing to look forward to now that it was over. She had waited for some acknowledgement from Tseng, becoming edgier as the day went on, but he was all business and seemed to be in a darker mood than usual, and she decided to follow his example and keep their personal business outside of the workday.

Opening the door to her apartment, she flicked on the lights and froze mid-step. A small end table from her living room now sat in the center of the foyer with a spectacular bouquet of flowers displayed on it. Elena approached it slowly, pleased and excited, knowing who it had to be from, and found and opened the card that was nestled in the midst of the flowers.

"Get comfortable and meet me on the roof."

It wasn't signed, and it didn't need to be. She could never fail to recognize Tseng's handwriting. Showered and changed in record time, feeling exhilarated, heart hammering, she had to force herself to walk as she made her way to the roof and whatever surprise awaited her.

* * *

Bryn heard the door open and close, and a few seconds later, Reno flopped down into the chair across from her. He looked tired, more worn than she had ever seen him, and there was no hint of the mischievousness that often graced his features. He looked like he'd been beaten. He looked defeated.

"Bad day?" Dropping off the couch to her knees, she crawled the few feet to kneel before him, reaching up to push his jacket from his shoulders.

He let her undress him, moving minimally to allow her to slide the jacket and shirt from his shoulders. 'Bad day' didn't even begin to describe it. Like his colleagues, Reno was used to taking care of business, and today just hadn't qualified. On top of their failure, he was plagued by the assignment Rufus had given him. He knew there was no way to refuse the ridiculous order, but he couldn't think of a way to tell Bryn, either. And as she stood, holding his hands in hers, pulling him behind her to the bathroom, removing the rest of his clothes haphazardly along the way, he forgot about telling her, and let himself be lulled into the comfort of coming home to someone who knew him and would understand.

Bryn didn't push for Reno to talk, or for anything besides what he allowed. He didn't have to speak if he didn't want to. It wasn't often that he came home in this condition, and though she didn't want to intrude on his darker thoughts, she couldn't simply leave him with them either.

But as the evening progressed, she began to worry.

Under the warm spray of water, Reno began to respond to her, but not with words. He made love to her with a tender, nearly melancholy intensity that frightened her even as it had her delirious with pleasure. Slowly, methodically, he stroked soapy hands over her skin, tangled them in her wet hair, held her still as he stole her breath with deep, fervent kisses. He licked and kissed the water from her skin, reducing her to begging before he acquiesced, pressing her back to the wall and lifting her, wrapping her legs around him and slipping into her in the same unhurried manner. Bryn clung to him, one arm wrapped securely around his neck, her fingers of that hand digging into the firm muscle of his shoulder while her other fist entwined in his hair, her head thumping back as he entered her, filling her, feeling large and impossibly hot within her body. She writhed against him, using her body to demand more, but he refused her, each prolonged thrust scraping against a spot that ignited the pleasure unbearably but was never quite enough. She sobbed, voice breaking, nails cutting into his skin, and still he maintained his tempo, forcing her to endure, stringing her out as her body swelled with desperate need that wrenched a guttural scream from her as it finally shattered with a vicious ferocity, spreading heat and pleasure through her in a shockwave.

And still he wasn't done.

He carried her back to the bed, laying her out, uncaring that they were both soaking wet, and set to re-igniting her in the same fashion, with excruciating, unhurried intent, until finally sometime in the dim hours of the morning, spent, wrung out, she passed out beneath him in the throes of her final orgasm, leaving him gasping and crying out as he let release claim him.

As he settled beside her, holding her in a clinging embrace and pulling the covers over their cooling bodies, she regained consciousness briefly. Just long enough to realize that whatever was bothering him, Reno still held that secret safe-guarded.


	12. Searching Answers, Facing Truth

_I'm not even looking to see when I last updated this! It's been forever, I know. Thank you for being patient! In addition to that lovely thing called reality sucking the life out of me, this was a difficult chapter for me. It simply refused to cooperate! Tseng is still a bit of a mystery to me, and Rufus, well, I'd just like to slap him in this. I apologize for there not being more Reno in this chapter; we'll be seeing more of him soon, though. I promise._

_Thanks much for reading and reviewing. _

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Searching Answers, Facing Truth

"I'm busy at the moment, Tseng. It will just have to wait."

Tseng kept his hand tightly over the doorknob, effectively preventing Rufus' departure from his office.

"This cannot wait until later, Rufus. We need to talk now."

Rufus backed up a step, and Tseng felt a brief flare of relief that Rufus was still coherent enough to hear him out. Whether he would follow Tseng's advice was an entirely different matter.

"Make it quick."

"I expected to get a response to my messages."

"I've been busy, Tseng. Is there really anything you can't handle?"

"This is serious, Rufus. I thought a security breach would be worth a moment of your time at least."

"A security breach?" Rufus' lips twitched disbelievingly. "What are you talking about?"

Tseng knew that Rufus had been preoccupied recently, but this was beyond anything he had imagined.

"You haven't been reading my messages, have you?" He should have insisted on talking to his boss sooner.

"Haven't we been through this already? I've been busy."

"Not busy, Rufus. Distracted. If you had been paying attention, you would know that someone attacked Elena during training, and then someone bypassed security to threaten Bryn Dunstan...."

"Oh, HER," Rufus interrupted. "What is she doing here anyway? She's not a Shinra employee, and we don't owe her any type of protection."

"That's not the point." Tseng's seemingly endless reserve of composure was quickly slipping away. "He was imitating a Turk, Rufus, and he had help getting into Shinra."

"And it's your job to handle this, Tseng. Isn't this exactly what the Turks are for? Taking care of this type of security issue?"

"And we will take care of it, Rufus. You're still missing the point."

The expression on Rufus' face held no more interest than if Tseng were talking interior decorating, waiting him out with no concern whatsoever for what Tseng had to say.

"You're not paying attention, Rufus."

Well, at least that got a quirk of an eyebrow.

"You're busy investing your time in your newest relationship," he hoped that was at least a tactful way of putting it, "and assigning your Turks to be escorts at office parties." For some reason, Tseng didn't think it would be a good idea to point out that the newest relationship and the woman Reno would be escorting were one and the same. There was something distinctly odd about the entire situation, and Tseng wasn't even going to try addressing it directly unless he absolutely had to.

"Whoever attacked Elena works for Shinra, Rufus, and the man who is impersonating a Turk had help getting into this building. From someone on the inside. In the meantime, I can't get in touch with you, and you're making decisions and giving orders that make no sense. You need to be aware of what's going on around here, Rufus. You can't keep your head buried in the sand, and you can't keep me in the dark."

While the eyebrow may have been a good sign, Tseng was pretty sure the smile twitching at Rufus' mouth was anything but.

"What's that expression about the pot and the kettle, Tseng?"

Tseng remained carefully blank as he tried to figure out what madness Rufus was prattling on about and waited to see if there would be any further indication.

"It seems to me all of these issues have arisen since Reno became smitten with what's-her-name and have only gotten worse since you've been investing so much time with Elena. Perhaps you're the one who's not paying attention?"

Tseng was too startled by the turning of the tables to stop Rufus as he finally managed to push past Tseng and step out of his office. He remained as he was, staring blankly at the floor, methodically going through the most recent events in question, trying to see them in a new way and figure out if there was any truth to Rufus' accusations. Reno's performance had been sharper recently. If anything, it was Dara that was throwing him off his mark, and Tseng had his doubts about how Reno's latest assignment was going to work out.

His own behavior was of higher concern. Had he let his feelings for Elena taint his view of things? He had been very careful to keep his personal time with Elena outside business hours, but was it really possible? Had he slipped up? He'd like to think not, but this was going to take some consideration.

* * *

Elena was in heaven, felt as if she were floating on air as she prepared for work. The night before had been magical, and she didn't care how corny that sounded. From the moment the butterflies had set flight in her stomach when she received the invitation, to the first step she took out onto the roof where the sky was as brilliantly clear as she had ever seen it. From the delicious food Tseng had spread out for a late night picnic, to the way he talked, listened, and softly laughed with her, to the way he securely held her hand as he walked her back to her apartment.

And then there was the kiss.

At her door, still holding her hand, he had turned to face her, and she could barely contain the exhilarated flutter in her chest as he had stepped closer, his gentle smile fading from his lips as he lowered his head, his expression becoming intent.

She couldn't react in any way when his lips touched hers, couldn't even reciprocate. She was frozen between the shock and the thrill of it, a kiss it seemed she had been anticipating forever. And she wanted to remember everything about it, the tender pressure, the texture, the electric current that seemed to flow between them. He drew back, standing straight again, and Elena found she had to concentrate to open her eyes and gaze up at him, sure there were more stars in her eyes than had been in the night sky they had shared.

He had opened the door for her, reaching in just enough to turn on the lights, and then said good night, brushing her hair back behind one ear before taking his leave. Again, there were no promises, no arrangements for a future date, but as she closed the door behind her, her heart still beating erratically, Elena had no doubt there would be more moments like that.

There better be!

Finally ready, she stepped out of her apartment, and tried to refocus her thoughts towards work as she headed to the elevator. They had an imposter to find, not to mention a traitor within Shinra that was helping him. This may have all started with Bryn, but she had a feeling it was much farther reaching than that.

Besides, she knew that keeping her focus on work, keeping her personal life separate, would make Tseng proud.

* * *

Rude took one side of the street while Reno scoured the other, each with a picture of the imposter in hand, each with a sharp eye on the people around them. But Rude's attention kept drifting back to his partner, who was looking more frustrated and annoyed by the second. Whatever they did, they had to find this guy, but pounding the streets yet again with a picture in their hands was not the usual way in which Turks handled business. And the people around them knew it, eyeing them warily as they spoke to shop keepers and pedestrians alike, shying away from them as if they didn't want to get involved.

And who could blame them?

It nearly brought a smile to Rude's face. Turks struck fear into people. There was an intimidation factor in their mere presence that was usually invaluable. That was part of their charm as Shinra's go-to boys.

But there were times, like now, when a little less of that fear might have better given them the advantage.

Rude checked on Reno again. This whole mess, the assassination attempt on Bryn, her latest encounter with the fake Turk, even Rufus' absurd orders, were taking their toll on Reno, and it was beginning to show. Rude made a mental note to keep an eye on Reno. He was determined that whether Reno was aware or not, when his partner needed the back-up, Rude would not fail.

They returned to the office with no more than a couple of people who stated they may or may not have seen the man in the photo. It was almost more frustrating than getting nothing at all, but it at least gave them hope to keep asking questions.

Elena was waiting for them when they got back, sitting at her desk, staring at the monitor she had set up in front of her. She waved them over as they came in the door.

"He's been here before," were the first words they were greeted with.

Standing over her shoulders, Reno and Rude watched as she pulled up the few feeds she had found with the man in question. Sure enough, he had been in the building at least twice before his encounter with Bryn, always managing to stay low-key and not draw attention. But then who would think anything of a Turk wandering the halls of Shinra. He definitely had the perfect outfit.

"Do we have anything new?" Rude asked as Reno concentrated on the stills, trying to find and sharpen the clearer ones.

"Actually, one thing." Elena sounded proud of herself as she took over the computer again, and pulled up another shot. Rude couldn't see a difference in it and any of the others.

"What are we seeing, Elena?"

"It was his location. See the sign behind him? There's a door just down the hall from there. I checked the time-stamp when this photo was taken and compared it to that door. He used it."

"So what?" Reno spoke for the first time since they had returned to Shinra. No, Rude thought, Reno was not handling this well.

"That door requires a number code. He entered using a code."

Reno and Rude were staring at her, both having hoped for something better.

"Don't you get it?" Elena couldn't believe they didn't understand. "He's got a security entry code. He has more access to Shinra than we thought."

"At least we can do something about that." They all turned to find Tseng standing in the doorway. When he had appeared, they weren't sure, but he had heard the most important part of the conversation. "I'll have the entry codes changed by morning, with individual assignments to select employees."

"That won't be full-proof," Rude offered. "It will only cover key-pad entries."

"Yes, but it's a start. Elena, I need to speak with you. My office, please."

Considering they were still on the clock, Elena was relatively sure that whatever Tseng needed to meet with her about was business related, and serious considering his expression. She nodded, shrugging lightly at Reno's raised eyebrow as she followed Tseng out of the office. He led as if he assumed her presence, not speaking or turning to make sure she was there, and held the door for her to enter his office, closing it softly behind her. He took a seat behind his desk as he always did, and she, in turn, took her spot, standing in front of his desk as if she were waiting for her next assignment.

"I don't know how else to address this, so I'm going to be as direct as possible."

Elena's nerves clenched impossibly tight. Please, she silently begged, please don't let this be Tseng realizing our seeing each other was a mistake.

"I had an impromptu meeting with Rufus this morning. Apparently, he is aware of our recent," he paused as if looking for the appropriate word, "involvement."

Elena very carefully maintained as neutral an expression as possible, trying to turn off the images her mind produced of how this conversation was going to end.

"Needless to say, he was not pleased."

No, no, nonononono. She bit the inside of her cheek, determined not to jump to conclusions, resolved not to show any reaction. If it came down to making a choice, she was nearly certain that no matter Tseng's personal feelings, he would do what was best for Shinra. She had known that little fact forever, but the idea had never hurt so much as it did now.

"He expressed concern that our relationship might distort the way I perceive things, that it might diminish my ability to do my job effectively."

Elena kept her focus on the shiny surface of his desk, even refusing to look at Tseng's reflection there, hoping that her bangs, which had slipped to shadow her face, were hiding the moisture gathering in her eyes.

"I have given this serious thought over the course of the day. I have tried to find even the tiniest shred of evidence to prove him correct, and while I don't believe it has happened, neither of us can argue that the possibility exists."

He stood, slowly circling the desk to stand beside Elena, who still refused to look at him.

"You and I haven't spoken of this. I thought there would be an intuitive understanding concerning keeping our personal relationship separate from our business relationship. After this morning, however, I have come to the conclusion that it cannot be left to intuition."

Elena took only a small amount of encouragement in that Tseng was still speaking of what they had as a relationship. He stood close, but not quite touching. She felt a tear slip down her cheek, and was remarkably proud that the sob she felt building didn't escape with it.

After a brief silence, Tseng deftly wiped the tear away with his thumb.

"I want us to be clear, Elena. I want to make sure you understand that I have to keep my personal life separate from this. The decisions I make here cannot ever be affected by my personal life, no matter how difficult they may be to make or to follow. I need to know that you understand that completely."

Tseng's heart twisted painfully. Had there been an easier way to say this? If so, he couldn't think of it. And he couldn't do this over a candlelit dinner. Or, rather, he didn't want to. While he had to address it, he would rather not ever speak of business while spending personal time with Elena.

He took a small step closer, until his chest was brushing against her shoulder and he could lean closer to her ear. Just because he needed to be proper about this didn't mean he couldn't give some indication of how he really felt.

"I'm just finding out how important you are to me, and I don't want to lose that, Elena. But I need to be up front with you about this and I need to know that you are, and will be, okay with it."

It was what she had come to realize over the past couple of days, but Tseng was right; it couldn't be left to intuition. And, somehow, his addressing it with such seriousness clarified how important their relationship really was to him.

Elena shut her eyes tightly, nodding as she let herself absorb what he was saying, hiding her elation that he wasn't jumping the gun and ending something that had barely had a chance to get started. She composed herself enough so she could speak, and though it came out a rough whisper, she still managed a tiny smile.

"It's okay, Tseng. I understand."

"And you'll be able to deal with that?"

"Yes, Sir." She kept her eyes straight ahead now, the perfect Turk responding to her boss. She felt his sigh of relief as well as she heard it, and then he stepped away.

"Are you still working on the security tapes?" As he had promised, he reverted easily back to business.

"Yes. I've gone through all of the tapes since Bryn was threatened. Now I'm backtracking in search of the first intrusion."

"Good. Let me know when we have a clear time frame."

As she left his office, she caught sight of Reno down the hall waiting for the elevator. Taking a lesson in being forthright from Tseng, she decided she had to address something that had been lurking in her mind on and off throughout the past couple of days. Now she knew she had to take care of it before it was too late to say anything.

Reno turned just before she spoke his name, most likely at the sound of her approach.

"Hey, Elena. Everything okay with you and Tseng?"

Elena tried to find an underlying meaning to Reno's question, but didn't get any indication that Reno meant anything more by it than 'everything okay'. Of course, with Reno, that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't reading between the lines.

"Oh, that. It was no big deal. Everything's fine." The bell rang and the door slid open, but Elena put a hand on Reno's arm as he was about to step in. Reno looked down at that hand for a moment, then back up at Elena, and it was clear he saw something there to be wary of.

"We need to talk, Reno. There's something I need to tell you."


	13. Hard Lesson Learned

_For your reviews and encouragement, thank you! And thank you for being patient! As always, I own nothing._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Hard Lesson Learned

Bryn approached the practice range with an absurd amount of caution. Left and right, she surveyed the surrounding area as if something were going to pop out of the wooden props and obstacles. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and shook off the silliness she felt as she became aware of her own behavior. It wasn't as if anything on the range were going to shoot back at her.

"It's just a lesson in basics," she mumbled to herself, trying to loosen the knot that had formed at the base of her neck, a knot that was doing its best to spread and take over the muscles in her shoulders and upper arms.

"Elena?" She called, her voice weaker than she thought it would be. She called again, a bit stronger this time, not wanting to call too much attention to herself, but still there was no reply. Hoping Elena had kept her word to get her clearance, she pushed through the gate marked "Training Area: Authorized Personnel Only". Considering Shinra's hospitality, the least she could do was respect their rules.

"Elena?" Closing the gate behind her and stepping onto the range, she felt alone and exposed in the eerily silent space. It was an odd feeling that added to her tension.

It struck her again how careful she was being, stepping gingerly to remain quiet and undetected even when there was no need for such care. Walking out to the center of the range, she turned slowly, still unconvinced that one of those wooden frame characters wasn't going to suddenly come to life. But it remained still.

She'd wait, she decided. Elena could be running late. Thanks to Bryn, they were all busy searching down the mystery Turk imposter that had managed to get past Shinra's security. It was also possible Elena had been assigned some mission that would take longer than or was outside of the average workday. It certainly happened to Reno often enough. Taking a last look at the silhouette bad guys, Bryn concluded she would be more comfortable waiting outside the target range, and headed in that direction.

The explosion of nerves throughout her body rattled her badly as she spun around and realized that one silhouette wasn't made of wood at all.

Leaning casually against the side of one of the tiny buildings, Reno had one knee bent with the foot resting against the wall behind him while the other long leg stretched out in front of him. He wasn't, she noted looking at her, though. He was staring off into the sky, or the tower, or possibly some invisible space that she had no access to. Knowing it was him didn't do much to calm her nerves.

Where the hell had he come from? Surely she would have noticed him if he had been standing there the entire time. And if he hadn't, how had she not heard him? Was this some kind of Turk skill? Appearing and disappearing at will?

"There are two things I can't figure out," he spoke before she could, obviously aware that he had her attention, whether he visually acknowledged her or not. "Why guns? After your experience with your fake father, why would you want to learn how to shoot? Do you really think it will help you defend yourself? That day the sniper took a shot at you, do you think having a gun would have helped you then?"

Elena had told him, of course. Bryn had hoped she wouldn't, but knew the possibility existed. After all, she hadn't seemed that comfortable with Bryn asking her to begin with.

"Reno, I..."

He turned his gaze on her, and the abruptness of it silenced her. While the way he had been staring off into nothing had seemed off, the attention now focused on her was not in the least comforting.

"Do you really think you could do it again, Bryn? He was stalking her now, one step at a time, getting closer with every word. "Pull the trigger and put a bullet in someone?"

Standing before her now, glaring down at her with an expression she couldn't figure, he pushed aside the front of his jacket exposing the leather strappings of the shoulder harness he wore. Bryn's eyes were immediately drawn to his hand as he reached for the gun cradled in the holster and drew it out to hold it up in front of her.

"First things first. Always turn the safety off." He pushed the button next to the trigger, and then extended the gun to her butt first. "After that it's easy. Point and pull the trigger."

Reno was oversimplifying things, Bryn knew. It wasn't that easy. Or was it? Flashes erupted in her mind, the sound of the gun firing, the jerk of her arm, the flare from the muzzle, and the sick feeling in her gut as she realized what she had done, that it was all real. It had been that easy that night. Just point and pull the trigger. Hell, had she even had time to aim if she had known how?

All this took over her mind while Reno waited, arm extended with another gun for her to use, and she couldn't seem to make her muscles work to reach for it.

"Well?" Reno was growing impatient, pushing her as he pushed the gun towards her. He wrapped his other hand around her wrist forcefully, and pulled her hand until he could rest it on the weapon. "Take it."

So slowly, numbly, her fingers curled around the grip, and it felt impossibly heavy as she lifted the gun from his hand, but he drew away, leaving her no choice but to either hold the gun or let it drop to the ground.

"Go ahead," Reno prompted. "Pick a target and take a shot."

Staring at the gun, it occurred to Bryn just how much of a bad idea this was. Would it have been better if it had been Elena who was teaching her? She'd never know now. She raised the gun shakily and pointed it at one of the nearby targets and did her best to keep her hand steady even as the sweat building on her palm made it nearly impossible to keep the gun from slipping. She had no choice but to raise her other hand to assist the first, not sure if she was doing it correctly or not, and Reno remained a silent shadow somewhere off to her right, not offering any further advice.

Heart racing and breathing shallow, she had to consciously force her finger to squeeze the trigger.

Distantly, she was aware of her reaction, the flinch as the blast sounded in her ears, the way her arm kicked back, and the high pitched, whining sob that escaped her throat to echo the blast as her eyes clenched tightly closed.

"Not bad." Reno was walking past her as he commented, and she dared to peek to find out what he was talking about. Approaching the silhouette, he pointed at the hole that Bryn's bullet had left just above where it's belly button would have been if it had one. Turning back and approaching, he was smiling, but the rest of his expression suggested Bryn be wary.

"How'd that feel?"

Bryn wanted to tell him it was no big deal, but even if she'd been able to lie to him, Reno would have seen right through it.

"It was...scary. I'm still shaking a little. I didn't think it would be that hard." And it might not have been if not for her first experience with a gun having been killing the man she had thought her entire life was her father.

"Scary, huh?" He was standing in front of her, and in a blink had reached out and forced her hand from her side, bringing the gun up with the barrel pointed straight into his chest as he leaned into her, his voice low. "So what happens when we give you a target that isn't made of wood?"

Bryn turned the gun sideways and pushed it into Reno's chest and then jerked away from him.

"That's not funny, Reno."

He held onto her wrist a moment longer than he had to before releasing it.

"No, it's not." Setting the safety and holstering the gun, Reno ran a hand through his rumpled hair. "But I want you to really think about what you're doing, Bryn. I want you to understand what this could mean. If you still want to learn after you've thought about it, I'll teach you." He gave his advice some time to sink in, and then brushed past her towards the exit.

Bryn's mind whirled. She knew Reno was impulsive and quick-tempered, but she had never known him to be cruel. Not to her, at least, and his behavior combined with her overreactive nerves was confusing her even more.

"Reno?" She spun around, hoping to catch him before he was gone. He paused at the doorway to the range, but didn't turn back to her. Good. Maybe he was embarrassed by his absurd challenge.

"You said there were two things you couldn't figure out." She barely saw the minute shift in his body as she spoke. "What was the other one?"

For a second, Bryn through he might not answer, but then he turned his head back slightly, still not turning around, and his voice sounded tired.

"I couldn't figure out why you didn't ask me."

Yes, his voice was tired. Tired and wounded.


End file.
